Ruth Hill
Paediatric palliative care funding left out of Budget
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
Health policy expert questions govt's health spending
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
Heart patients worse off in Northland than Auckland: Specialist
A leading Northland cardiologist says his patients are much sicker than they would be if they lived in Auckland. Ruth Hill reports. Audio
GPs dissapointed over lack of funding in Budget
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
Plenty of interest in health spending in Budget
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 NZers may have lost vision to toxoplasmosis
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
Violence 'normalised' in ED departments: Survey
Top emergency department doctors say violence is being normalised in understaffed EDs, forcing experienced staff to quit. Ruth Hill reports. Audio
One in three NZers have high blood pressure: Heart Foundation
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
Calls for RSV vaccine to be made available
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
Senior doctors to walk off the job over stalled pay talks
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
Immunisation providers critical of funding shortfalls
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
Plunket vaccinated fewer than 100 babies in five months
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
Long waits for GP appointments costing ACC millions: Physiotherapists
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 colonoscopies increase
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
Man with cerebral palsy living with pain due to staff shortages
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
1 in 3 people waiting over two weeks for GP appointment - poll
One in three people are waiting over two weeks for a GP appointment, while more than one in six wait three or four weeks - or even longer, according to RNZ's Reid Research poll. The Health Minister… Audio
Senior doctor frustrated over money spent outsourcing operations to private sector
A senior Northland doctor is frustrated that the Government is spending millions of dollars outsourcing operations to the private sector when he says the public system could have helped many more… Audio
Medical graduates "lost" to NZ
A top medical graduate who can't find a job in a hospital says Health NZ needs to do more to ensure locally trained doctors are not being lost to the system. Ruth Hill reports. Audio
Doctors warn of more pressure to train foreign medics
Doctors are warning that giving GPs the task of doing more on-the-job training for new graduates and foreign medics will load more pressure on primary care. Ruth Hill reports. Audio
Dr Levy's Reset Plan for Health NZ to still go on under new board
The announcement by the Health Minister was part of a raft of changes for the public health system. Alongside reinstating the board, Minister Simeon Brown slammed Health NZ for poor leadership - and… Audio