This week's top health stories

Lack of clean water kills 4,000 children a day: UN

The World Today - 16/03/2010
The World Health Organisation and UNICEF have released a report that's found more than 2.5 billion of the world's people live without proper sanitation and access to clean water. It's also found the lack of sanitation spreads diseases which kill 4,000 children every day.

Kennett suggests surgery for PM's plan

The World Today - 16/03/2010
Jeff Kennett joins The World Today to discuss the Prime Minister's hospital reform plan. Kevin Rudd has been highlighting Victoria's case-mix system, introduced by Mr Kennett, as the model for his national funding proposal, but the former Victorian premier is yet to come aboard.

Rudd pledges doctor training funding boost

Lateline - 15/03/2010
Kevin Rudd has promised a huge financial injection into doctor training to massively boost the number of qualified GPs and specialists.

Rudd promises more doctors

7.30 Report - 15/03/2010
The Rudd Government has promised to spend more than $600 million over the next four years to employ more General Practitioners. But will the latest government health promise deliver doctors where they're needed?

First ever treatment guidelines for perinatal depression

PM - 15/03/2010
Clinicians should soon have more help treating depression in young people, pregnant women and new mothers with the development of new guidelines. It's the first time there have been guidelines for young people for many years and the first time ever mental health in pregnancy has been given such priority.

Govt promises $632m in training to address doctor shortages

PM - 15/03/2010
The Prime Minister's promised $632m over the next 10 years to train a record number of doctors to address the problem of shortages across the nation. The Government hopes the new money will help convince state and territory leaders that they should support Mr Rudd's national health and hospital network.

New standards for disabled access

The World Today - 15/03/2010
New standards to make public buildings more accessible to disabled people are expected to come into force in May next year. The Disability Discrimination Commissioner and the Master Builders Association have welcomed the Government action, despite what they've termed a difficult process.

Cancer linked to CAT scan

The World Today - 15/03/2010
The Federal Government's Professional Services Review says the high rate of CAT scans in Australia could be increasing the rate of cancer. The Medicare watchdog is warning doctors to carefully consider the risk of cancer-causing radiation to patients before prescribing CT scans.

NHMRC reassures scientists over grants

The World Today - 15/03/2010
The National Health and Medical Research Council is urging Australian scientists to persevere with the new electronic grant application system. The deadline for submissions has been pushed back to cope with outages and crashes that have prevented researchers from completing their applications.

Researchers uncover thalidomide mystery

Science Online - 15/03/2010
Japanese scientists have uncovered how thalidomide led to deformities in children born to mothers taking the drug in the 1950s and 1960s, according to a study.