Health news

• Gillian Triggs says 'vindictive point-scoring' behind Coalition's medevac repeal

  11-08-2019 06:41 via theguardian.com
  New UN assistant high commissioner for protection urges Scott Morrison to use political mandate for more humane refugee policyThe Coalition government’s campaign against the refugee medical evacuation laws is based on “mistruths” and “vindictive point-scoring”,the former president of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Gillian Triggs, says.On Friday Triggs was appointed United Nations assistant high commissioner for protection, working with the UN high commissio
  
  Read more

• Victorian MPs to debate bill to let transgender people change birth certificate without surgery

  11-08-2019 05:45 via theguardian.com
  Despite vocal opposition from the Coalition and a new women’s group, Labor bill looks set to pass parliament The Victorian parliament is gearing up for a debate over the rights of transgender and non-binary people to be able to choose the gender listed on their birth certificates.Under current law in Victoria, in order for transgender people to have their birth certificate changed to affirm their gender, they have to have undergone sex affirming surgery, often at great cost. It is somethin
  
  Read more

• Medicinal cannabis: the hype is strong, but the evidence is weak

  11-08-2019 00:00 via theguardian.com
  Demand is booming for medicinal cannabis to treat a variety of conditions, but researchers and doctors remain cautiousMore Australians are using medicinal cannabis to treat a host of health problems as reports of its supposed healing powers flood the media. But is this the green miracle patients have been waiting for? This week, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence declined to approve medicinal cannabis for use in children with severe epilepsy on the NHS, saying there
  
  Read more

Follow @Health_News_AU on Twitter!