Stories by Karen Brown

A performance review of the embattled Ministry of Health is expected to be highly critical of the ministry's leadership team, according to sector sources.

Two busy nurses have been told to apologise after a 15-month-old boy was given the wrong vaccine.

An anaesthetist who gave a patient more than double the correct medication has been censured for breaching a patient's rights.

A 21-year-old has collected nearly 10,000 signatures to push for improved mental health education in high schools, after struggling to seek help herself. Video

The Health Minister has been forced to defend mental health services, as Labour, the Greens and the senior doctors' union question funding levels. Audio

A new drug tested on some New Zealand patients is expected to save the lives of some critically ill patients is nearing worldwide release.

New claims of a crisis in acute mental health services have followed a critical report by the Auditor-General.

A university student with facial fractures went to a hospital emergency department demanding an x-ray but was told they were too busy.

The Mental Health Foundation says today's $224m boost over four years is a "good step forward" but some advocates say it is inadequate and rushed.

The Budget provides almost $4 billion in extra funding for health over the next four years.

A Dunedin woman who lost a son to suicide today pleaded with MPs to launch an inquiry into "broken" mental health services.

A woman in her 30s needed an emergency caesarian and gave birth to a stillborn infant after poor care for her Type 1 diabetes, a report has found.

Fourteen patients suffered vision loss due to delayed care in Otago and Southland, but the lead author of a damning report says he is surprised there weren't more.

More than a dozen people suffered vision loss after delayed eye appointments in Dunedin and Invercargill, despite warnings from doctors, a new report has found. Audio

Hepatitis C sufferers say a highly-expensive drug Pharmac is considering offering to more patients has "given them life".

Health groups are largely welcoming Pharmac's plans for better access to drugs including melatonin, HIV retrovirals and a lung cancer treatment.

Dunedin health chiefs must do more to bolster the city's fragile neurosurgery service, the Labour Party says.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has defended the embattled mental health system today, saying it is facing high demand.

Many New Zealanders think they have their asthma well under control when they do not, experts are warning.

A Māori 19-year-old whose fallopian tube was unnecessarily removed says it was part of her body and spirit and should have been returned to her after surgery.

Patients with lung cancer say they urgently need better-funded treatments for the disease, including Keytruda.

Patients with a little-known cancer want a new treatment funded in this country, so they don't have to fly to Australia for life-saving care.

A student is one of the contenders in an "unprecedented" battle for the top job at the New Zealand Medical Association. Audio

ACC is forking out $45 million to reduce the high and rising cost of injuries related to medical treatment.

The Southern DHB and an unnamed psychiatrist have been told to apologise to the family of a mental health patient who later died.