Health
Girl wrongly injected with drugs highlights need for law change, Mental Health Foundation says
The head of the Mental Health Foundation says he is not confident there will not be a repeat of a mistake that saw an 11-year-old girl wrongly identified as an adult mental health patient. Audio
HealthNZ response to Nelson Hospital woes just window dressing - union
HealthNZ was only aware of one of the cases of patients becoming sicker during delays at the hospital before media reports surfaced.
The case for mending doctors
A crisis in primary health care is worsening and calls are increasing for some hospital funding to be diverted to GPs.
Fixing the GP crisis
A crisis in primary health care is worsening and calls are increasing for some hospital funding to be diverted to GPs. Audio
Parents oppose girl's cancer treatment, try to leave NZ as agencies step in
The girl had been diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a form of cancer that develops in the bone marrow.
'Steady progress' toward meeting wait targets - Health NZ chief
Wait times for first specialist appointments and elective treatment have gotten longer - but Health NZ says it is on track to make improvements on the other three government health targets.
Access to new drugs to speed up if approval given by some countries
Cabinet has approved a streamlined pathway in which some medicines will be approved in less than 30 days.
Morning Report Essentials for Thursday 3 April 2025
On today's episode, an RNZ investigation has revealed ministers were lobbied by infant formula companies in the months before the government ditched tougher rules for how formula is made and sold, the… Audio
Shingles vaccine linked to reduction in dementia diagnoses, study finds
Scientists may have produced the strongest evidence yet that the shingles vaccine is linked to reduced dementia risk.
Hospitals still waiting for work to fix high risk issues
Five years after the first stocktake of shonky hospital water pipes and power cables, more than 40 percent of the worst cases have had no remedial work done. Phil Pennington spoke to Paddy Gower. Audio
Children's Commissioner on Health NZ review into 11-year-old who was mistaken for 20-year-old
Health New Zealand has admitted "significant failings" and apologised for the experience of an 11-year-old girl who was restrained and mistaken for a 20-year-old. Children's Commissioner Dr Claire… Audio
Health NZ changing policy to prevent identity mistakes
Unidentified mental health patients will now be assessed by a medical team to prevent identity mistakes. NZ Mental Health Foundation Chief Executive Shaun Robinson spoke to Paddy Gower. Audio
Forty percent of most urgent hospital repairs aren't being worked on
Some projects marked as 'completed' by Health NZ still need more fixes.
Carmel Sepuloni on govt health targets, road cones
Labour's Carmel Sepuloni talks health wait times, road cones and a rise in the minimum wage. Audio
Nineteen month wait to see a specialist: 'I was suffering severe pain all of the time'
The Nelson woman's bowel and ovaries were fused together with scar tissue from endometriosis. Audio
Company behind Covid tracer app helping doctors fight impending antibiotic resistance crisis
The project will prompt doctors to prescribe more safely, to reduce the looming risk of antimicrobial resistance, which one professor describes as: "A silent pandemic that is occurring globally." Audio
Patients have to travel seven hours or face losing eyesight
Some were forced to move or choose not to access help due to costs and travel. Audio
'Safety is at risk': Warning as meth and crime crisis in Northland worsens
A drugs and social crisis afflicting Northland is deepening, a Northland iwi leader warns.
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
Te Whatu Ora Chief Clinical officer on misidentified 11-year-old
An eleven year girl who was mistaken for an older mental health patient was forcibly injected with anti-psychotic medication that's not normally used for children and wasn't even the first choice of… Audio
