inMelbourne

Victoria’s ambulance service is under scrutiny amid claims an ambulance took 90 minutes to travel a kilometre to pick up a brain tumour patient.

The Stroke Foundation says a common but under diagnosed heart condition is costing the Australian economy over $1 billion a year.

  Tougher road safety campaigns, more effective mental health screening and drug and alcohol prevention programs are needed, according to specialists in the field.   He said the three leading causes of death were interlinked, as many road trauma deaths were caused by mental health problems or substance abuse.  While the death rate for women in road accidents has dropped by about 10% a year since 1997, it has remained stable for men at 10 deaths for every 100,000 Victorian men.