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Jan 2023 - Vol 1, Issue 5
Aus state launches 1st multicultural mental health hotline Australian partnership helping PNG’s
Sydney, Jan 5 (IANS) The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) on Thursday announced that the country’s
first multicultural mental health phone line has been launched in the state, which will provide services in 30 different languages and benefit multiple communities. According to the state government, the service is staffed by registered bilingual mental health professionals, covering languages such as Arabic, Chinese and Greek, reports Xinhua news agency. Available from Monday to Friday, the Transcultural Mental Health
Line is expected to improve access to mental health care and support for diverse communities. “While there is a wide range of mental health services available to all NSW residents, language and different cultural understandings of mental health can act as a barrier for people when accessing services,” said NSW Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor. “This new phone line will support people to get the help they
Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, was flying from the UK to Bengaluru with his mother when a 43-year-old man suffered a cardiac arrest. Vemala attempted to resuscitate the passenger, who at the time did not have a pulse and was not breathing. “It took about an hour of resuscitation before I was able to get him back. Luckily, they (the cabin crew) had an emergency kit, which included resuscitative medication to enable life support,” Vemala said while sharing his experience. Apart from oxygen and an automated external defibrillator, Vemala, with the help of other passengers, managed to get
hold of a heart-rate monitor, blood pressure machine, pulse oximeter and glucose meter to keep an eye on the patient’s vital signs. The passenger then went into cardiac arrest for a second time, and this time it took longer to resuscitate him. “In total, he was without a good pulse or decent blood pressure for nearly two hours of the flight, alongside the cabin crew, we were trying to keep him alive for five hours in total,” Vemala said in a statement released by University Hospitals Birmingham. Concerned for the passenger’s chance for survival, Vemala and the pilot tried to get permission
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health workers and institutions MCNA desk or Sister Junelyn Norman and Dr Steven James and teams at ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital, the Covid-19 pandemic brought many challenges. The virus stretched health systems globally, and more so in resource-challenged countries such as Papua New Guinea (PNG). But the pandemic also presented the opportunity to adapt and learn. Collaborative partnerships
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between health workers and
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British-Indian doctor saves man’s life twice on flight to India
London, Jan 6 (IANS) A BritishIndian doctor battled for five hours to save a fellow passenger, who almost died twice during a 10-hour Air India flight. Vishwaraj Vemala, a consultant hepatologist at University
to land at the nearest airfield in Pakistan, but their request was denied. Instead, they were able to arrange for landing at the Mumbai airport, where an emergency crew was waiting for them on the ground. By the time the flight landed, the passenger was resuscitated and was able to speak. “I don’t think I have ever treated a cardiac arrest during my job... Obviously during my medical training, it was something I had experience dealing with, but never 40,000 feet in the air!” Vemala said. He said that it was the first time in his seven years as a consultant that his mother saw him ‘in
action’. “She was crying a lot.” Vemala was able to leave the patient safe and stable with the emergency team at Mumbai Airport, with very detailed notes and observations he’d shown cabin crew how to take. “This was indeed a moment that I will remember for rest of my life,” he said. Vemala graduated from Bangalore University in 1999, and completed post-graduate training in Bangalore in 2002. He completed basic specialist training in London (2006) at St George’s University Hospital. Later, he undertook a period of research in the Dame Sheila Sherlock Liver Unit at the Royal Free, London (2009).
Stephanie Copus-Campbell is Australia’s Australian team visits Malaita Province in Solomon Islands next Ambassador for gender equality
MCNA desk tephanie Copus-Campbell, who has had a distinguished career in international relations and development in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific region, has been appointed as Australia’s next Ambassador for gender equality. Promoting gender equality is a priority for Australia and
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central to Australia’s diplomatic, economic, development, and regional security efforts. As Australia’s Ambassador for gender equality, CopusCampbell will deepen Australia’s international engagement on gender equality with her expertise in community development, gender equality and health. She will advocate the importance of women’s human rights, ending gender-based violence, women’s economic empowerment, and the leadership of women and girls. Most recently, she was appointed by the Government of PNG as Chair of the Southern Highlands Provincial Health Authority and has served as Executive Director of the Oil Search Foundation. She has previously served overseas for AusAID in Port Moresby and Suva.
MCNA desk delegation from the Australian High Commission visited Malaita Province in Solomon Islands recently to handover and evaluate a combined total of eight community projects collectively worth SBD
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1.3 million. The projects were funded under Australia’s Direct Aid Program which aims to support community-led solutions to improve standards of living. The delegation handed over a Solar power bank Atoifi Adventist
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