Home
Search
thewest.com.au‌‌
LifestyleChevron Right Icon

Health & Wellbeing

State and territory health ministers have launched an attack on the Albanese government’s proposed NDIS cuts NewsWire / Martin Ollman..

NewsPremiumStates’ extraordinary plea over NDIS

State and territory governments have launched an extraordinary attack on plans to kick 160,000 people off the NDIS to save billions of dollars.

Nathan Schmidt

Not Supplied

HEALTHHuge $100m move to fight major health problem

A multimillion dollar research mission could turn the tide on a condition so common it affects more Australians than the entire population of Sydney.

Harvey Constable

Not Supplied

HEALTH‘Serious risk’: Watchdog flags new crackdown

Unregulated peptides have exploded in popularity online as performance enhancing or anti-ageing, but now Australia’s national health watchdog has warned it is targeting the risky products.

Angie Raphael and Blake Antrobus

A NDIA spokesman said anyone who abused their position for personal gain would be caught and held to account. NewsWire / Dean Martin

CRIMEStaffer charged over alleged $5m NDIS fraud

A government insider has been charged over allegations she used her privileged access to NDIS records to submit fraudulent claims, as part of a $5m scheme.

Emma Kirk

A traveller has died after contracting Murray Valley encephalitis from a mosquito bite in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. Supplied

TRAVEL UPDATESTraveller dies from mozzie-borne disease

An urgent health warning has been issued after a traveller died from a mosquito-borne disease in Australia.

Emma Kirk

An empty hospital bed is becoming a rare sight in one state, forcing it to change strategy. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

Health & WellbeingPremiumHospital bed woes trigger boost for care-at-home scheme

Data from Australia's most populous state reveals people are staying in hospital much longer than necessary while waiting for aged care or disability support.

Alex Mitchell

The NSW Government is taking action as hundreds of patients lay in hospital beds waiting on Commonwealth aged care or NDIS placements before they can leave. Image: NewsWire

HEALTHLifeline thrown to stranded hospital patients

Hundreds of patients left waiting in hospital beds for federal government support have been thrown a lifeline by one state government.

Emma Kirk

Opposition NDIS spokesperson Melissa McIntosh accused the government of ‘hoodwinking’ the disability community. NewsWire / Martin Ollman.

POLITICSPremiumCoalition demands NDIS modelling before backing reform

The Coalition has revealed what conditions it says must be met before backing the government’s controversial NDIS reforms.

Tia Clarkson-Pascoe and Nathan Schmidt

Not Supplied

EXCLUSIVEPremium$8bn tax dip sparks major budget shakeup

An $8bn economic shockwave and war-rattled global economy are behind massive budget overhauls in Australia’s most populous state.

Nathan Schmidt

Nutritionists are calling for mandatory warning labels on food packaging. NewsWire Handout

UPDATEDPremium‘Dangerous’ detail in ordinary food pouches

Experts are sounding the alarm over the “dangerous” risk in ordinary food pouches and items – one which could become Australia’s next public health crisis.

Tia Clarkson-Pascoe

Mindfulness facilitator Karen Haddon.

Cancer programLife Now Programs help people with cancer to pause and relax

Cancer Council WA is encouraging people in the Great Southern affected by cancer to access its free Life Now programs which aim to provide connection, calm and practical support during and after treatment. 

Amy Towers

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia is committed to “global health security”. NewsWire / Martin Ollman.

POLITICSPremiumAus’ big move on deadly Ebola outbreak

Australia has taken a big step as an Ebola outbreak in central Africa as the World Health Organisation urges nations to “move faster”.

Ria Pandey

Another medic claimed for a wellbeing trip to Bali. NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

NEWSPremium$23k Alps trip claimed on health funds

A taxpayer-funded scheme meant to upskill doctors instead bankrolled $23k French Alps trips and luxury watches, a corruption probe has found.

David Hannant

NSW Hospitals are bracing for a tough winter with lost of preventive measures in place. NewsWire / John Appleyard

HEALTH‘Serious illness’: State’s vaccine plea

Health authorities in one Aussie state have issued an urgent plea as hospitals brace for another crushing surge.

Samina Rakhshani

Hannah Bambra waited five years to get a PMOS diagnosis. Supplied

NewsPremiumWoman’s agonising 5-year wait for diagnosis

Women who waited years to be believed by their doctors welcome a landmark change, with experts hailing it as “well overdue”.

Samina Rakhshani

Professor Lea Waters in WA’s South West for the Wellx retreat.

wellness Premium‘I’m living proof that hardship and happiness can coexist’

Renowned psychologist Lea Waters’ recent WA Wellx retreat focused on the question that has driven her since childhood: what allows someone to not only survive the worst, but to be positively redefined by it?

Emily Taylor

Hundreds of hospital beds in NSW are expected to be freed up thanks to a fresh government initiative. NewsWire / Martin Ollman

EXCLUSIVEPremiumSame day surgeries to free up hospital beds

One Aussie state is freeing up hospital beds by sending people home on the same day they get one of 14 key types of surgery.

Jack Nivison

Not Supplied

COURTBaby dies after ‘deficient’ homebirth care

A coroner has condemned the “deficient” care of two privately-practising midwives after a six-day-old baby died following a homebirth in Victoria.

Tia Clarkson-Pascoe

Invictus Australia sent 33 athletes to the 2025 Invictus Games in Canada. Supplied

POLITICSPremiumBackflip on Invictus Australia funding

The Australian government has backflipped and reinstated funding for the veterans support group Invictus Australia.

Blair Jackson

Not Supplied

UPDATEDPremiumNew detail over state’s diphtheria outbreak

The number of reported cases of a rare bacterial infection has climbed to a grim number in one Aussie state, as health authorities grapple with one of the worst outbreaks in years.

Andrew Hedgman

Bulk billing rates surged in the first three months of 2026 as the Albanese government continues to bet big on health. NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

NewsPremiumFigure exposes bulk-billing reality

New data has revealed the state of bulk billing across Australia, with one jurisdiction lagging behind.

Nathan Schmidt

Not Supplied

NEWSPremiumOzempic craze raises new health warnings

Medications like Ozempic are now reshaping how hundreds of thousands of Australians lose weight, while raising urgent questions about safety and access.

Andrew Hedgman

Ryan Park, NSW Health Minister NewsWire / Nikki Short

HEALTHMajor outbreak reaches grim 35yr high

One Aussie state will roll out free vaccines and boosters as the outbreak of a potentially deadly disease gripping the country rises to a grim 35-year high.

David Hannant

A mouse plague in Western Australia’s Mid West has left residents and business owners fighting a daily battle to clear away carcasses and clean up after rodents invading homes, shops and streets. ABC

NEWS‘Horrid’ extent of entire town’s animal plague

An entire Aussie town is under siege from an animal plague of “horrid” proportions – sparking misery and psychological torment for residents.

Emma Kirk