12 NEWS
12 NEWS
22 AUGUST 2025 ausdoc. com. au
Shires buckle under GP costs
|
Jamie Thannoo LOCAL governments spending |
of Gnowangerup, Jerramungup, Kojonup, Lake Grace, Narembeen |
Shire president Kate O’ Keeffe told Australian Doctor. |
more than $ 3 billion a year in unrestricted funds, to help shires pay |
|
up to 16 % of their budgets on GP |
and Ravensthorpe. |
Around eight years ago, the |
for the incentives. |
|
recruitment want the Federal Gov- |
All are classified as remote or |
shire spent 2 % of its revenue on |
She said the scheme was already |
|
ernment to cover the cost of direct |
very remote under the Modified |
health, mostly on the cash incen- |
allowed to cover medical facilities |
|
cash incentives. |
Monash Model. |
tives to attract GPs. |
but only to the tune of $ 85,000. |
|
Six remote WA shires brought a |
Collectively, they spent $ 1.4 mil- |
In 2023 / 24, that figure was 6.7 %. |
She called on the Federal Gov- |
|
successful motion at the National |
lion a year to attract and retain GPs. |
The Shire of Narembeen, with |
ernment to raise this cap. |
|
General Assembly of Local Govern- |
|
|
|
“ The cost is growing to the stage |
its population of just 787, spent 16 % |
In response, Minister for Health |
|
ments in June, calling for federal |
where it is preventing local gov- |
of its budget on its GP. |
and Ageing Mark Butler said the |
|
funding for the cash incentives paid |
ernment from doing things it is |
Ms O’ Keeffe said the Federal |
Federal Government was helping |
|
to rural GPs, which can be hun- |
chartered to do: roads, libraries, |
Government could use its Finan- |
rural practice by boosting Medicare |
Kate O’ Keeffe. |
dreds of thousands of dollars. The group included the shires |
community facilities, bins, parks and recreation,” Gnowangerup |
cial Assistance Grant to Local Government scheme, which provided |
rebates and increasing funding for GP training. |
|
|
|
|
Antibiotic linked to birth defects |
FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS ONLY
INTRODUCING
THE NEW ELIGARD ® PRE-CONNECTED SYRINGE SYSTEM 1
PBS Information: Restricted Benefit Locally advanced( stage C) or metastatic( stage D) carcinoma of the prostate. ELIGARD ® 6-month 45 mg modified release injection for central precocious puberty( CPP). Refer to PBS schedule for full information www. pbs. gov. au
Please review the Product Information before prescribing. Approved Product Information can be accessed at www. tga. com. au or by scanning the QR code:
This medicinal product is subject to additional monitoring in Australia. This will allow quick identification of new safety information. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse events at https:// www. tga. gov. au / reporting-problems.
References: 1. ELIGARD ® Approved Product Information, October 2024. 2. ELIGARD ® Instructions for Use, October 2024. Adverse events should be reported. Reporting forms and information can be found at https:// aems. tga. gov. au /. Adverse events can also be reported to Mundipharma at drugsafety @ mundipharma. com. au
® ELIGARD and ATRIGEL are registered trademarks of Tolmar Therapeutics, Inc. used under licence. © 2025 Mundipharma Pty Limited ABN 87 081 322 509. Sydney NSW 2000. Tel: 1800 188 009. All rights reserved. AU-ELI-2500082. Date of preparation: July 2025. MUNDELI01587.
* A simplified preparation to activate the Atrigel ® delivery system 1, 2
Now featuring a coupling device, effectively removing the 4 assembly steps previously required. 1, 2
*
Scan the QR code to chat with Ellie, Mundipharma’ s virtual AI nurse!
Heather Saxena BABIES born to women prescribed trimethoprim – sulfamethoxazole in early pregnancy have a 35 % higher risk of congenital abnormalities than those exposed to beta-lactams, a US study suggests.
Researchers compared the risk of congenital malformations across more than 71,600 live births following first-trimester exposure to antibiotics.
Specifically, they compared exposure to trimethoprim – sulfamethoxazole( TMP – SMX), nitrofurantoin and fluoroquinolones with exposure to beta-lactams, which were known to be safe in pregnancy.
All women( median age 30) were only exposed to one class of antibiotic, said the researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri.
The researchers found that 1518 infants were born with abnormalities, such as severe cardiac defects, neural tube defects, cleft lip and / or palate, limb deficiencies, hypospadias, pyloric stenosis, or intestinal atresia or stenosis.
TMP – SMX exposure was associated with a 35 % higher risk of any malformations compared with beta-lactam exposure, equivalent to one additional malformation per 145 pregnancies.
No elevated risk was observed for nitrofurantoin or fluoroquinolones, the researchers wrote in JAMA Network Open.
“ Our results support the current American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommendation for caution in using TMP – SMX during the first trimester but do not support current recommendations to limit nitrofurantoin use,” they concluded.
The population-based study relied on insurance data on antibiotic prescriptions.
JAMA Netw Open 2025; 9 Jul.