Paternity Schock for MINIster Abbott

From THE AGE
Paternity shock for Abbott
By Jason Koutsoukis and Misha Schubert
Canberra
March 22, 2005

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott has discovered that a 27-year-old man he believed to be his love child was fathered by another man.

Just weeks after Mr Abbott's extraordinary public declaration that Daniel O'Connor, an ABC television sound engineeer, was his son, DNA tests have established they are not related.

The real father is a man who came forward after the story of the minister being reunited with his lost son broke in the media.

Last night Mr Abbott confirmed that DNA tests had established he was not the father. "It's a shock to me. I've gone through 27 years of life convinced that I was Daniel's dad, and it appears that's not the case," he told Channel Seven.

"Of course, I'm disappointed. You don't live through these things for 27 years, you don't go through the excitement and the wonder of a reunion and then lose that and not be disappointed."

Daniel O'Connor's mother, Kathy Donnelly, had always believed that Mr Abbott, with whom she had a relationship when he was a teenage law student in Sydney, was the biological father.

Five days after Mr O'Connor was born, in July 1977, Mrs Donnelly and Mr Abbott decided to give him up for adoption.

Mr O'Connor's real paternity was confirmed last week through DNA testing involving Mr Abbott, and his biological father, whose identity has not been revealed.

The father contacted Mrs Donnelly last month to say he thought he might be Mr O'Connor's father. It is believed he thought Mr O'Connor bore a strong resemblance to his own children.

It is believed that Mr Abbott suggested DNA testing to resolve the identity problem.

"I had an inkling that this might be the case about a fortnight ago," Mr Abbott said last night. "I had some confirmation that it was probably the case last week. I wasn't going to say anything about it. I really think this is a matter for Daniel, above all else. But the story's out. It's a shock to me.

"I'm sorry that poor old Daniel has been dragged through the public spotlight as a result of a connection to me, which it now appears was never the case."

The story of Mr Abbott's reunification with his son was additionally amazing for the fact that Mr O'Connor had worked alongside the minister as a sound engineer in the federal parliamentary press gallery for the previous three years.

Mr Abbott yesterday described the past few months as "a bit wild, frankly".

"To find the boy that I thought I had all those years ago. To go through a reunion and now to lose him like this is pretty shocking and I feel a bit numb about it all.

"Truth is stranger than fiction. This story has certainly developed some pretty surreal twists. For Daniel and for Kathy I hope a continuing great story, but not one that will obviously involve me."

After deciding he wanted to get in contact with his biological mother, Mr O'Connor contacted Mrs Donnelly by telephone on Christmas Eve last year.

It was then that Mrs Donnelly told Mr O'Connor his real father was Tony Abbott.

On December 26, Mr O'Connor received a phone call from Mr Abbott. His first words to the minister were: "Thanks for having me."

In January Mr O'Connor attended a barbecue at Mr Abbott's Sydney home with Mr Abbott's extended family and Mrs Donnelly's family.

Mr O'Connor later introduced his adopted parents to Mr Abbott and Mrs Donnelly.

Mr O'Connor's adoptive father, John O'Connor, said he "felt very much an onlooker despite the sort of critical role and position that we the three of us have played in his life" when he learned who Daniel's real father was.

Mr Abbott said he had spoken to Mr O'Connor since learning that he was not his real father.

"I did speak to Daniel once last week when we got the news that in all probability he wasn't my boy," Mr Abbott said.

"It was something that, once Kathy had talked to me about it, we both decided that it was probably in Daniel's best interest if he knew who his dad was. The fact is he's a good kid. Kathy, his mum, is a great girl. I hope they have a great life, and I guess I'm just sad for him that he's been dragged through the media mill because of the connection to me, which it now seems didn't exist."

Prime Minister John Howard said last night the latest developments had not changed his view of Mr Abbott. " Although it's become a very public issue, because it involves a high-profile politician, it is still an intensely private matter," Mr Howard told Sky News. "Nothing that has happened alters my intense personal regard for Tony Abbott."

Mr Abbott, a conservative Catholic who has spoken out against abortion, has endured years of Labor taunts about being the father of a love child.

Mrs Donnelly and Mr Abbott have remained in regular contact over the past 27 years, believing they shared a son. Mr Abbott later married another woman to whom he has three daughters, while Mrs Donnelly, a West Australian artist, also married and had four children.

THE STORY SO FAR

1965
  Tony Abbott and Kathy Donnelly are primary school pupils at Holy Family Convent, Lindfield, Sydney.

1975
  Abbott dates Donnelly in year 12 at St Ignatius College.

1976
  Abbott begins law/economics degree at University of Sydney.

July 26, 1977
  Donnelly gives birth to a boy. Five days later, she gives him up for adoption. Abbott sees the child briefly at birth. Donnelly and Abbott had separated two months earlier.

1980
  Abbott wins Rhodes Scholarship, leaves for Oxford.

1984
  Abbott returns, enters St Patrick's Seminary, Manly, to study for priesthood. He quits in 1987.

September 24, 1988
  Marries Margaret Aitken. They have three daughters.

1994
  Enters Federal Parliament.

2002
  Daniel O'Connor starts work as a sound engineer at ABC TV in Canberra press gallery.

December 24, 2004
  O'Connor contacts his birth mother, who subsequently tells Abbott.

December 26, 2004
  Abbott phones O'Connor.

February 20, 2005
  Abbott and O'Connor's story becomes public.

March 21, 2005
  Abbott confirms that DNA tests show O'Connor was fathered by another man.

Other related articles ::

• Shock, more shock and countershock
  
• Calls grow for paternity testing
  
• Michelle Grattan: Abbott's roller-coaster ride
  
• Aussie MOH meets son he gave up for adoption

Of CPR and Doctors Who Refused Clinical Work

March 22, 2005 19:23 PM
Chua Says Doctors Who Refused Clinical Work May Not Be Promoted

KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 (Bernama) -- Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said Tuesday that the refusal of government doctors performing administrative functions to do clinical work as required could jeopardise their prospects for promotion.

He said the requirement was made in a directive issued by the ministry six months ago but he was disappointed to note some doctors including hospital directors were still reluctant to perform clinical duties.

Dr Chua said this in response to an incident in Alor Star where 50 doctors attending a conference were unable to apply cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR, a procedure to artificially maintain the flow of air to a patient's lungs by compressing the heart externally) when one of them collapsed.

The ministry directive requires doctors performing administrative functions to carry out 10 hours of clinical work per week.

Its objective is to help ease the shortage of doctors in government hospitals and to support the case for appointing doctors as directors of hospitals.

Dr Chua said doctors who refused to do clinical work could be considered as no longer interested in being doctors.

"To me, this is a question of pride, of the image of the doctors and the people's faith in doctors.

"If a doctor had struggled through training for six or seven years but seemingly loses interest in clinical work after confirmation, and is more keen on administration, then it would have been better that he had studied to be an administrator," he told reporters in the lobby of Parliament House.

Dr Chua said that on a visit to Sabah he found only one out of four directors of large and modern hospitals abiding by the directive to do clinical duties.

"The other three were not doing clinical work even though their administrative duties were not heavy. I believe they had graduated from university not more than 10 years ago but already they were not interested in being doctors," he said.

He said the ministry had launched a "continuous medical education" programme headed by Health Deputy Director-General Datuk Dr Ismail Merican to ensure all doctors did not abandon their clinical work.

On another matter, Dr Chua said the ministry for the first time would carry out a survey to collect data on ear and hearing problems among Malaysians.

He said the survey from March 28 until the end of the year would cover about 10,000 people from 2,100 families picked randomly.

"We do not have data on these problems now, so it is important to determine the actual source of hearing problems," he said.

He urged the public to operate with the ministry's researchers, adding that those identified in the survey to have hearing problems would be given free treatment.

-- BERNAMA

i find the definition by BERNAMA of CPR or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation somewhat confusing :: "a procedure to artificially maintain the flow of air to a patient's lungs by compressing the heart externally". This may be a better definition ::

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a combination of rescue breathing and chest compressions delivered to victims thought to be in cardiac arrest. When cardiac arrest occurs, the heart stops pumping blood. CPR can support a small amount of blood flow to the heart and brain to “buy time” until normal heart function is restored.

OR

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) consists of mouth-to-mouth respiration and chest compression. CPR allows oxygenated blood to circulate to vital organs such as the brain and heart. CPR can keep a person alive until more advanced procedures (such as defibrillation - an electric shock to the chest) can treat the cardiac arrest. CPR started by a bystander doubles the likelihood of survival for victims of cardiac arrest.

History Of CPR::
Modern CPR developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The discoverers of mouth-to-mouth ventilation were Drs. James Elam and Peter Safar. Though mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was described in the Bible (mostly performed by midwives to resuscitate newborns) it fell out of practice until it was rediscovered in the 1950s.

In early 1960 Drs. Kouwenhoven, Knickerbocker, and Jude discovered the benefit of chest compression to achieve a small amount of artifical circulation. Later in 1960, mouth-to-mouth and chest compression were combined to form CPR similar to the way it is practiced today.

How to do it ::

• Check this simple chart
  
• Print a pocketable chart here
  
• View the CPR video
  The above are from the University of Washington School of Medicine, CPR webpages.
  
• CPR :: Know What To Do, the ABC of CPR
  
• IAC-CPR - Learn about a potentially beneficial adjunct to CPR.
  

These days, resuscitators carrying out CPR may fear the transmission of HIV. But to date there has never been a case of HIV transmitted by mouth-to-mouth CPR.

Is Self-CPR possible? Check out this urban legend here

One-day special CPR course for senior medical officers

From the NST
ALOR STAR, Sun. - A group of doctors, including senior administrators in government hospitals, will spend tomorrow learning to give emergency first aid. The Kedah Health Department ordered this special training session following an incident where doctors at a meeting could not give cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, to a fellow doctor who collapsed.

More than 50 doctors will attend this one-day course to learn the emergency procedure, said sources in the medical fraternity here.

Used to keep oxygenated blood flowing to the brain of an unconscious person who has stopped breathing, CPR comprises a technique to massage hearts and mouth- -to-mouth resuscitation.

It is often used on people who may have suffered heart attacks.

This was the first time the department was holding a course specifically for senior medical officials, said a doctor who was required to attend the course.

The department regularly trains paramedic staff, medical assistants and nurses on how to give CPR.

The course the doctors would attend was a basic one, said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"It covers theory and practicals and is a basic course.

"It is similar to those given to the public, such as volunteers with the Malaysian Red Crescent and the St John Ambulance."

He said the department realised the need for the course after a man collapsed at a meeting of doctors -turned-administrators here.

"We were told that the group admitted it could not perform CPR on him and called in the paramedics," said the doctor.

The man apparently recovered before the paramedics arrived, and was understandably upset that no one could help him earlier, he said.

The Health Department was doing the right thing, he said.

"It is embarrassing but it is the right move because they are tackling the problem. It should be extended to all medical staff."

The move had not been popular with some doctors asked to attend the course, said a source in an association which works closely with hospitals here.

A number of doctors he spoke to said they felt it beneath them to have to learn CPR again, said the official who also declined to be named.

The course will be held at the Al-Bukhary mosque complex, here.

Health Department officials could not be reached for comment.

Certainly looks like a comical sketch by the Kedah Health Dept and tis senior doctors. Even cartoonist Lat took a swipe at them in his cartoon. Lets hope the CPR course will do soem good for the doctors and the image of the Kedah Health Dept.

Sydney Researchers Testing Herbal Treatment For Dimentia

MELBOURNE, March 20 (Bernama) - Researchers in Sydney have begun a clinical trial to investigate if traditional Chinese herbal medicines can slow the debilitating progress of dementia.

As the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's Disease, vascular dementia can be caused by anything which slows blood flow to the brain including changes in blood pressure, high cholesterol and an irregular heart beat.

"A lot of the Western medications are actually made from plants and derive their origins from herbal medications," says Prof Daniel Chan, director of Aged Care and Rehabilitation at Sydney's Bankstown Hospital.

He is leading a trial of three herbs -- ginkgo, ginseng and saffron -- which have been used to treat dementia in China for thousands of years. This is the first time though such a treatment has been tried outside China.

"These herbs actually improve the circulation in the brain and enhances transmission of certain substances between nerve brain cells," Hongkong-born Prof Chan says.

Bankstown Hospital and the University of Western Sydney have joined forces with the China Academy of Traditional Medicine in Beijing. Eighty patients will take part in the study over four months.

"This is the first herbal trial conducted for the treatment for this particular disease," says trial researcher Dennis Chang, from the University of Western Sydney's Centre of Complimentary Medicine Research.

For many dementia patients, the burden is not just physical -- it is also financial, with some medications costing up to A$200 (about RM580) a month.

Doctors say these herbs are so common that if placed on the market, this treatment is expected to cost no more than A$200 a year.

-- BERNAMA

Ginkgo :: Ginkgo biloba is commonly used in the treatment of early-stage Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, peripheral claudication, and tinnitus of vascular origin. Multiple trials investigating the efficacy of ginkgo for treating cerebrovascular disease and dementia have been performed, and systematic reviews suggest the herb can improve the symptoms of dementia. Ginkgo is generally well tolerated, but it can increase the risk of bleeding if used in combination with warfarin, antiplatelet agents, and certain other herbal medications. Clinical issues of safety, dosing, use in the perioperative period, and pharmacology are addressed in this review.

Ginseng :: The herbal remedies referred to as "ginseng" are derived from the roots of several plants. One of the most commonly used and researched of the ginsengs is Panax ginseng, also called Asian or Korean ginseng. The main active components of Panax ginseng are ginsenosides, which have been shown to have a variety of beneficial effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer effects. Results of clinical research studies demonstrate that Panax ginseng may improve psychologic function, immune function, and conditions associated with diabetes. Overall, Panax ginseng appears to be well tolerated, although caution is advised about concomitant use with some pharmaceuticals, such as warfarin, oral hypoglycemic agents, insulin, and phenelzine. Panax ginseng does not appear to enhance physical performance. Products with a standardized ginsenoside concentration are available.

Saffron :: Not to be mistaken for tumeric. Saffron soothes the membranes of the stomach and colon. It helps reduce cholesterol levels by neutralizing uric-acid build up in the system. It has been known to prevent heart disease. In Valencia, Spain, Saffron is eaten daily and little heart disease exists there. Saffron contains vitarnins A and B12. It contains potassium, some calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and lactic acid. This is the first time i have heard of saffron being used fro early treatment of dementia. Other medicinal uses of saffron in the past included its general employment as an antidote against poisoning, a digestant, an aphrodisiac, a tonic, and as a specific for dysentery and measles. In accordance with the Doctrine of Signatures, its yellow color signified its natural ability to treat jaundice

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Study shows no link between autism and MMR vaccine

March 6, 2005
Study shows no link between autism and MMR vaccine

PARIS - A major Japanese study should dispel lingering fears from a 12-year-old scare that a multiple vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) is to blame for a rise in autism, the British weeklyNew Scientist says.
The panic, unleashed in 1998, prompted tens of thousands of British parents to refuse the vaccine for their children.
However, several big studies have failed to confirm any link between the vaccine and autism.
Exactly a year ago, 10 of the 13 British doctors who authored the original research in The Lancet medical weekly retracted their findings.
New Scientist says a study into 31,426 children in the Japanese city of Yokohama 'should put the final nail in the coffin' of the scare.
Japan used the MMR vaccine for a number of years before withdrawing it in April 1993, responding to reports that the anti-mumps components may cause meningitis.
Hideo Honda of the Yokohama Rehabilitation Centre looked at children born between 1988 and 1996, a period that straddles the withdrawal date.
The number of children diagnosed as autistic after the age of seven continued to rise after the vaccine had been withdrawn, he found.
In the years before 1993, incidence of autism ranged from 48 to 86 cases per 10,000 children.
But after 1993, it rose, with cases ranging from 97 to 161 per 10,000.
The study cannot rule out the possibility that MMR may trigger autism in a very small number of children.
However, it confirms that there is no large-scale effect.
Scientists are divided about why autism appears to be rising in developed countries.
Some say there may be an environmental cause; others say that cases of autism are more likely to be detected and reported because the taboo surrounding this condition is receding.
The MMR scare was overwhelmingly centred on Britain.
In some parts of that country, the proportion of children getting the vaccination has slumped to 60 per cent, triggering outbreaks of measles. -- AFP

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Elderly find doctors show too much flesh::NZ

From :: Stuff
14 March 2005

By JOANNA DAVIS

Christchurch's young doctors must remember they are dressing for work and not nightclubs, says a health lobby group fed up with hipsters, bare midriffs and the cleavage on show.


A letter of complaint from Elder Care Canterbury prompted the Christchurch School of Medicine to review its lack of dress code and update its student handbook to include one.

Elderly patients were concerned that junior doctors' standard of dress, particularly that of the women, was sometimes inappropriate and unprofessional.

"They were concerned about seeing far too many tummy buttons and the hipster trousers with the G-string out the back," said former Elder Care Canterbury facilitator Gill Coe..

Coe said dress was particularly at issue for older patients as the doctors already seemed so young.

"Especially the registrars – they all seem about 16 or 18 anyway. If you want to be taken seriously by older people, you would be wise to dress in a professional manner," she said.

Coe said it was important that people aged over 65, who made up more than half of patients in general medical wards, could respect junior doctors.

"If they dress like they're just going out to a nightclub, they won't get the respect they deserve because of the training they've done."

Elder Friendly member Keith Gibb said the young doctors did not need to wear formal clothing.

"It's a question of drawing a line. People don't want to see low decolletage and very short skirts when they have to bend over patients."

He said conservative dress would also be more economical for the students and junior staff.

"While at work they're not indulging in a display of fashion. It saves a certain amount of money if you're not trying to do so."

Christchurch School of Medicine dean Ian Town said students' dress had improved after receiving the guidelines and he was pleased with the standard this year.

"There are more important things facing our students in the scheme of things but we wanted them to dress and behave reasonably," he said.

The updated handbook advised medical students that patients could be uncomfortable with piercings, casual clothes such as shorts and sandals, midriff-exposing tops and long hair on men.

From my experience, with multiple visits to the JPL [Jabatan Pesakit Luar], our doctors' manner of dressing is not as problematic as what is happening in the UK or NZ. Most of the lady doctors are appropriately dressed up [some can be even be said to be dressing down, especially after office hours]. So patients will have no complaints regarding the showing off of too much body parts.
i happened to be in the local hospital today, all those doctors i encountered were appropriately dressed. In effect there was more covered up than uncovered ones. But among the ladies, slacks, pants and jeans appear to be the order of the day. There were not many wearing dresses and skirts like in the days gone by. But then again one is there to received appropriate medical treatment and not witness a fashion show. So for now, it looks like our doctors don't need a guidebook on medical dressing.

Hospital 'Kulat' still being Cleaned

Ministry To Take Back Hospital Only After It's Considered Safe

JOHOR BAHARU, March 7 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry will only take back the Sultan Ismail Hospital (HSI) which was closed last September due to a fungal attack after it is satisfied that it is safe for patients and staff, according to Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek.

He said contractors and the Works Ministry were still carrying out fungal cleaning work at several sections and a garden believed to be the source of the problem at the RM500 million hospital.

Asked when the work would be completed, Chua told reporters: "I cannot say for sure. JKR (Public Works Department) initially said it will take about three to six months; it is five months now."

HSI, a 300-bed hospital was forced to be closed about two months after it was opened following fungal attacks believed to be from a defective air-conditioning system.

Earlier, the minister launched a pioneer Tele-Primary Care (TPC) health project at the Kempas Health Clinic which was also attended by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, here.

Last year, the Cabinet decided that remedial works costing RM14 million be carried out at the hospital so that it could be reopened to the public.

On the TPC, Chua said the project, the first of its kind in the region, had two unique features in that patients could be continuously helped by staff at local clinics and specialists at hospitals, through tele-consultation which was built into the system.

Under the pioneer project, 45 health clinics -- 28 in Johor and 17 in Sarawak -- are linked directly to the Health Ministry in Putrajaya through an information technology network.

The Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baharu and Sibu Hospital in Sarawak act as reference hospitals.

The project aims to help patients get initial specialist treatment locally without having to travel too much to specialist hospitals, which is costly and burdensome for them.

-- BERNAMA

So it looks like the Hospital Kulat is still being de-kulat. Samy is obviously falling behind as far as his work is concerned. Wonder if the rakyat will have a hefty bill to foot as the JKR is taking its own sweet time. Mana boleh, JKR boleh! Last year the amount needed was RM14 million, has it excalated now that more time is needed, probably more faults have been detected.
Will definitely have to find out more regarding this Tele-Primary Care programme. May save us those long waits at the Out Patient Clinics. The MOH may have promised us that waiting time will be reduced within 6 months but till now the long wait continues even though the honeymoon may be over.

Child Obesity Threatening Asia, Warns US Expert

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 (Bernama) -- Children in developing countries, especially in Asia, are falling victim to obesity, a worrying trend as it leads to severe health complications at a tender age, warned an expert.

"The United States (US) is very involved in obesity but now it is definitely spreading to Southeast Asia and in particular we are seeing it in younger people, they are getting diabetes," Dr Norman Samuels, a surgeon with the Florida-based Centre For Severe Obesity, told Bernama here Saturday.

"It is becoming a worldwide problem and it has increased in recent years because of fast food and the advent of television and computer games.

"Children are not going outside to play or have an active life any more. Most of the time they sit in front of computer games or television.

"As a result, from an early age they eat a lot of wrong food and don't burn out the calories. So they get heavier and heavier," he said.

In countries like China and India, two fast growing economies in the world, and even in West Asia, more children were prone to obesity, due to changing lifestyle but this was a very unhealthy trend, said Dr Samuels.

Overweight children are prone to high blood pressure, diabetes and degenerative arthritis, which eventually affect their quality of life.

To combat the rising obesity cases, doctors are now performing gastric bypass, found to be more effective compared with traditional weight reduction methods like taking slimming pills.

"On average, at least 70 per cent of the excessive weight in a person can be removed and there is permanent weight loss if patients follow procedures," Dr Samuels said, adding that in the US, about 100,000 such surgeries were performed in 2004.

Dr Samuels is in Malaysia to introduce obesity surgery to local hospitals and he said that several hospitals were keen to learn about it.

"There is a problem in Malaysia and it is a service to the public because it is not cosmetic surgery but it is done against diseases.

"We will help set up the whole programme, train the surgeons and nurses, and we will bring dieticians, psychologists and trainers," he added.

-- BERNAMA

Rehab Programme For Workers With Back, Cervical Pain

Bernama.com
Malaysian National News Agency

Rehab Programme For Workers With Back, Cervical Pain Launched
General
February 28, 2005 15:45 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 (Bernama) -- The Social Security Organisation (Socso) Monday launched a rehabilitation programme for workers who lose their ability to work as a result of severe spine and cervical injuries.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn said the programme would be undertaken in collaboration with Finland-based DBC Back to Health (M) Sdn Bhd which had the expertise to treat back and cervical pain.

The company currently operates a treatment centre here and in Ipoh.

Under the programme, Socso would pay for the workers' treatment until they are able to return to work, he told reporters after launching the "Return to Work" programme here.

Dr Fong said the programme was crucial to enable workers to get another chance to work.

From over 9,000 workers, who were permanently disabled in 2003, between 2,000 and 3,000 of them suffered from back and cervical pain, he said.

Socso also planned to expand the rehabilitation programme to cover workers who had lost their fingers and hands, he added.

-- BERNAMA

Now this is great, having Socso taking so much interest in those who have been permanently disabled because of back and cervical spine problems. But 20-30% of those permanently disabled having should problems seem to be a rather high figure. Socso will probably have to take a closer look at them.
Socso should also provide better care and rehab for those who have had loss of bodily parts while on the job. Ensuring that they receive suitable prostheses to unable them to be once again gainfully employed would be helpful.
Having beeen in existence for so many years and having accumulated lots of funds, maybe it is time for Socso to consider having its own treatment facilities with specialists to detail with injuries suffered by tthe workforce.