Ruth Hill

Doctors in Northland are blaming a massive increase in wait times for colonoscopies in the last six months on Health NZ's decision to cut pay rates for locums. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

The parents of a transgender teenager who starved to death in a motel room believe the various agencies involved failed to monitor the real threat posed by the 17-year-old's long-standing eating… Audio

Hospices are saving the government millions of dollars a year - but they warn critical services are under threat, with nothing for palliative care providers in the Budget. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

ESR data shows flu and COVID infections are on the rise, with a sharp jump in hospitalisations for severe respiratory infections across Auckland in a week. As Ruth Hill reports, GPs warn they're… Audio

Strong winds tore the roof of a house in the Wellington suburb of Newlands on Wednesday night. Reporter Ruth Hill spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss. Audio

Families of dying children are crushed after yet another Budget has failed to deliver hoped-for funding for paediatric palliative care services. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

The Finance Minister Nicola Willis says one in five taxpayer dollars is now going into the health system, with record investment in frontline services. But a leading health policy expert says based on… Audio

A leading Northland cardiologist says his patients are much sicker than they would be if they lived in Auckland. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

Disappointed GPs say the lack of cash for them in the Budget may mean patient fees will have to rise, while the senior doctors union has dubbed it "the departure lounge budget". Ruth Hill reports. Audio

Health is a perenial issue for governments, and there will be plenty of interest in how Thursday's budget addresses that. Ruth Hill reports on this year's expectations for health. Audio

10,000 New Zealanders may have lost vision - sometimes permanently - due to toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by a parasite spread by cats. Otago University researchers estimate 40-thousand people… Audio

Top emergency department doctors say violence is being normalised in understaffed EDs, forcing experienced staff to quit. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

One in three New Zealanders over 30 have high blood pressure - but many of them don't even know it. Reporter Ruth Hill reports. Audio

Child health experts say a vaccine that's available in about 40 other countries could see an 80 percent drop here in the number of babies who end up in hospital with a potentially deadly lung… Audio

About 5000 senior doctors are walking off the job on Thursday for an unprecedented 24-hour strike from 1201am until 1159pm Friday in protest at their stalled pay talks. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

Some Māori and Pacific healthcare providers say they're losing money on vital immunisation services for high-need communities due to funding shortfalls. Ruth Hill explains. Audio

Five months after signing a million-dollar contract to set up its own childhood immunisation service, Whānau Āwhina Plunket has vaccinated fewer than 100 babies. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

Physiotherapists say long waits for GP appointments are costing ACC millions of dollars a year in wasted compensation for clients who could be back at work. Reporter Ruth Hill has more. Audio

Wait times for urgent, non-urgent and surveillance colonoscopies all grew last year after Health New Zealand failed to keep up with demand. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

An Upper Hutt man with cerebral palsy says his specialist has been unable to diagnose the cause of his debilitating foot pain because he can't order the diagnostic scans he needs. Ruth Hill reports. Audio