Maddingo Healthcare Blog

Mining is one of the top industries across the globe. It generates a huge amount of income and provides  lots of jobs to people. However, there are safety and health risks that come with having a job related to mining.

Studies have shown that miners are exposed to natural hazards because of the nature of their work. For instance, surface miners are exposed to various workplace conditions that expose them to roadway dusts, noise, vibration, as well as machinery and vehicular disturbances. Underground miners are faced with health risks too, such as oxygen deficiency because of inadequate ventilation, extreme temperatures and humidity and dehydration.

There are also man-made hazards that put the health of the workers at risk. The use of ammonium nitrate prills saturated with fuel oil and fired with dynamite caps produces carbon monoxide (or what they call whitedamp) and nitrogen dioxide (also known as afterdamp) generate toxic vapors that might cause poisoning. They could also suffer from lung problems because of the use of diesel fuels in machine operation which produce harmful gases that contain aldehydes, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. They can also have silicosis due to the significant exposures to silica.

To prevent these health risks from happening, the mining employees should be knowledgeable about it and the things they could possibly do to prevent it. One of the things their employer can do is to send their employees to undergo the Virtual Reality Training System. Training the staff with this will reduce injuries brought  upon by safety and health hazards.

Undergoing the mine training is very beneficial, because here, the staff will be trained  to have improved skills, knowledge and productivity. The level of competence of the staff will also increase due to the mine training and the visual simulation they will undergo. There is also a simulation of different scenarios that could happen in real life. In this way, the staff could be prepared and be knowledgeable of what to do whenever they will find themselves on that situation

Mining in Australia makes up 5.6% of the country’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP). Incidentally, the country is considered to be the largest exporter of diamonds, zirconium, lead, zinc, iron ore, and coal in the world. In 2001, 258.5M tonnes of coal were mined, and 193.6M tonnes were exported. Unfortunately, the mining population is only comprised of 1.3% of the country’s labour work force despite the high statistics from mining exports.

Most of the mines employ a fly-in-fly-out operation. This means that miners usually live in the city with their families, but they have to travel to the mining site when needed. Usually, miners stay in the site for two weeks and fly back home for one week to get their much needed and deserved rest. Also, miners get free accommodations and meals while they are away from their families.

The industry has fallen victim to criticisms from environmentalists. Not surprising since burning of coal will release carbon dioxide, hence, worsening global warming and climate changes. In addition, employees face risks of getting injured or getting sick given the nature of the job.  Suffocation, vehicle collisions, gas explosions, roof collapse, and coal dust explosions are just some of the untoward incidents that mining employees risk facing. Fortunately, modern times have ensured to make the necessary improvements for various mining methods. Ventilation, gas drainages, and gas monitoring are three of the various safety precautions being observed nowadays. Furthermore, mining employees are entitled to coal mines insurance.

Coal Mines Insurance, as the name suggests, caters to workers of the mining industry. They have offices in Woonona, Singleton, Sydney, and Speers Point—all of which are major coal regions in the country. With their offices, Coal Mines Insurance can effectively maintain strong relationships with the coal mining industry. They work hand in hand with the service providers, injured miners, and employers to ensure that excellent return to work output are met after suffering injuries from the mining site.

Being covered by Coal Mines Insurance means you need to immediately inform your employers about a workplace injury. Consequently, the employer needs to inform CMI about the incident. Once necessary information are collected, you can choose your own doctor. However, these service/treatment providers should first consult and submit treatment plans to Coal Mines Insurance to confirm that costs are covered by the latter. On top of treatments being covered, patients get to have financial support depending on the severity and nature of the injuries incurred. On the side, the injured patient, employers, and Coal Mines Insurance will work closely to ensure that the best possible outcomes are achieved while the patient is recuperating or getting ready to return to work.

With a work plan/system as organised as CMI’s, it will be best to get covered by them if you are part of the mining industry. Safety precautions may be observed in your company, but you do not have to risk meeting with accidents and not being covered my a mine insurance.

NIB Health Insurance recently launched an iPhone app that enables everyone to get the most out of their health insurance cover.

The first health insurance company to offer such innovation, nib’s iPhone app allows the members to view and update policy details. Claims on health insurance extras such as dental, physio and optical can also be done through it. Finding the nearest nib retail centre, eye care centre, dental care centre and nib agreement hospital is also convenient with this app.

The app can be claimed in three easy ways. First, download the nib health insurance iPhone app from nib’s official website. Next, the members can login by using your online services login details. They will be asked to complete and submit the mobile phone claim form; and after doing so,  the benefit amount will be paid directly into the member’s bank account.

Nib has been providing health insurance for over 50 years to over 800,000 costumers around Australia.

Been hearing news that funds for the National Health and Medical Research Council were being cut. I did some research and it seems that there will, indeed, be budget cuts from the federal government. In fact, several medical researchers have actually been rallying against this already.

According to the articles I have read, a supposed $400M cut is looming over the National Health and Medical Research Council. I can just imagine the drawbacks those budget cuts are going to bring. I’d probably even go to one of those rallies if I knew about them. Research – be them basic, applied, scientific, artistic, or historic – is an important part of any method/process. I can’t imagine why such a huge amount is going to be taken from funding research. Oh wait, one of the articles has a theory for that: politics. However, I am not going into that topic.

It is said that leaked documents, suggesting budget cuts are being considered, have been found. Even Brenda Wilson, the CEO of Cancer Council of South Australia, sees the importance of funding research. She has this to say from one of the articles I read: “These significant budget cuts are going to affect some of our best and brightest researchers, who’ll pursue a career overseas. It’s really important for a country as vibrant as Australia to have these talented researchers.” I definitely agree with that statement. We pride ourselves in having one of the best mortality rates in the world, but somehow that might change if this budget cut is going to continue. Professor Fiona Stanley, former Australian of the Year, mentioned in the rally that hope among patients and Australians’ capability at being healthy will also be cut along with the budget if the federal government has its way. She, apparently, also told the media that this could well be a  short-term gain for the government’s budget, but it could lead to long-term pain for our nation.

Lastly, I’d also like to share that a certain Rick Parish experienced having his son die in his arms. His 4-year old battled with brain tumor. It saddens me to hear of people getting sick, but it really affects me when I hear of children dying at such an early age. Mr. Parish mentioned, “ He passed away from a disease that we don’t understand and we have no cure for. The only way we will ever solve this shocking riddle is through medical research.” He also adds, “Prime Minister, if you take away our funding, you take away our hope.”

Cardiovascular diseases (CDV), cancer and respiratory diseases are the major causes of death in Australia accordng to statistics. Incidentally, I dreamt of my favourite aunt, who fought a long valiant  battle with breast cancer, last week. So for this post, I want to share something I read about developments in cancer research.

Apparently, a resident of Sanibel Island, John Kanzius, has come up with a way to treat cancer. He  was a broadcast executive with a background in radio and physics. He was a leukaemia patient. He died in 2009, but his foundation still lives on. If I understood the article correctly, it was seeing kids getting cancer treatments that prompted Kanzius to come up with a machine to fight against the disease. What I like about this machine is that, apparently, radiation isn’t used unlike the current cancer treatments we have. Instead, radio waves are used to heat nano particles, which will be injected into the patient’s body. These nano particles will then attach to certain cancer cells. The radio waves, according to studies, have been succesful in killing the cancer cells that have attached to the nano particles. Moreover, studies also show that no side effects have been found from the experiments. Such tests were done on rabbits diagnosed to have cancer of the liver. Another important observation found from the test results was that healthy tissues were not harmed in any way.

Due to the success of animal testing, the  Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation is going to  approach the US Food and Drug Administration to ask if they can start their research involving humans. However, it is going to be a long wait before the foundation can get permission from the FDA. This does not come as a surprise since the FDA should be assured that research involving humans will be a safe activity for everyone who’s going to be a part of the tests.

Health insurance plays a big part in Australia. It is a fact that Australians have their universal public health insurance, called Medicare. On top of this public health insurance, which is paid for by taxes, Australians have a  choice to get a private health insurance cover. Generally, this country has high mortality rates despite some of the health concerns that we are facing. Incidentally, I was browsing the Australian Institure of Health and Welfare (AIHW) website and found out that our mortality rate is among the best in the world. That’s great news, right?

Personally, I think it has something to do with the excellent health care systems that we are enjoying – be it from public or private health insurance. The public health care system applies to practically everyone. Medicare provides free treatments to patients of public hospitals. I think Medicare can also cover patients who need kidney transplants IF I am not mistaken. With a public health care system like ours, getting health related services isn’t too difficult where our budget is concerned.

Not to be outdone, the private health care system also does excellent work for its “market”. The difference is that private health insurance companies  such as NIB Health Insurance can help us pay for our medical treatments at more affordable costs. Of course, this goes without saying that treatments are paid for by the premiums we give these insurance companies. Another difference is that we get to choose which hospital and/or doctor we want to check on us. We can also opt to get insurance covers for services that Medicare won’t usually cover (e.g. contact lenses, glasses, and acupuncture – unless it is really part of your doctor’s consultation).

Some might think that private health insurance premiums are costly. The government has done something to help make such premiums more affordable—30% rebates are to be expected from private health insurance. Looking at this information, I guess paying premiums aren’t that bad. I get to have some money stored in case I get sick; I get to have medical treatments at affordable costs. Basically, my health is in good hands. Getting rebates for making sure I’m in tip top shape is just the icing on the cake.

Hey Folks

My name is Ryan sometimes known as Maddingo, I am a psychiatric student nurse in Melbourne, Australia. This blog will cover my exciting and challenging education and also discuss the different aspects of the Health industry.