18-Feb-16 A government AUD200 mn Beds Rescue Fund is on track to open 101 new beds and points of care in less than one year in Victoria, Australia, which will treat nearly 20,000 extra patients every year. [image: Premier of Victoria]

17-Feb-16 The Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia has granted Abbott approval for its new glucose monitoring system, FreeStyle Libre. The technology removes the need for finger pricks and monitors glucose levels through a device worn on the back of the arm and secured by an adhesive pad. A handheld reader is scanned over the sensor to get a glucose result. [image: Abbott]

08-Feb-16 Years of under-funding and cost-cutting applied by successive governments have produced lengthening waiting times in Australia's public hospitals, including for potentially life-saving emergency care. Emergency department waiting times worsened in 2014–15, with only 68% of emergency department patients classified as “urgent” being seen within half an hour.

09-Feb-16 Australia has a supportive R&D environment and renowned academic institutions. The country outpaces the US in terms of medtech sales per capita: USD10.2 bn in 2012/13 for its 23 mn people, while US revenue was USD110 bn in 2015 for a population of 319 million. The top three therapeutic areas are cardiovascular, anesthesia, and musculoskeletal. [image: MD+DI]

02-Feb-16 The cost of Australian healthcare has grown about 4% annually over a decade to AUD6,248 (USD4,449) per person. This was not due to either inflation or population growth rates, which were both factored in to the results. The growth was driven by a range of factors, including medical advances, the ageing population and an increase in people suffering chronic illnesses. [image: Alex Ellinghausen]