(Jacaranda tree in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney)

A comprehensive review of Medicare was announced this week, which has the potential to significantly impact how healthcare is delivered in Australia. Opinions abound (a small sample here, here, here, and here) but details are scarce. This announcement is timely, with the release of Australian Medical Association’s annual report card on public hospital services last week (reactions here and here) and the upcoming launch of Choosing Wisely Australia on April 29th (more on this here, here and here).

Also this week, Queensland and Victoria joined New South Wales in conducting clinical trials on the use medicinal cannabis (other reports here, here and here). Information about the trial and law reform process can be found here, here and here. Palliative Care Australia has also provided a submission.

Other reads:

• Physician suicide, burnout and self-care
• How to answer the question: “Am I dying?”
• Book of abstracts for the 14th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care

Finally, it’s ANZAC Day: Lest we forget.