SCOOP.CO.NZ archive pages provide PLAIN FULL TEXT search access to the Scoop archives devided into CATEGORIES. The database indexes approximately 4 months of Scoop items and is updated each night. You can search Scoop's complete 8 years of data at Knowledge Basket.
There is still an urgent need to continue raising funds for women with breast cancer who are paying for their own Herceptin treatments, says Jacqueline Harrison, founder and coordinator of national fundraising campaign Skip for Life. More >>
Last Saturday night, 30 June 2007, thirteen top chefs cooked up a gourmet storm at the SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre - all in the name of a good cause. More >>
The Bio Commerce Centre, Palmerston North’s technology commercialisation centre, has made two staff appointments. John Brandeis has been appointed Incubator Manager. Mr Brandeis has moved back to Palmerston North from Hawke’s Bay, where he established ... More >>
"Bad lessons always have to be learned anew," says Dr. Richard Goode, Libertarianz Drugs Spokesman. "And we're about to learn a bad lesson - that prohibition doesn't work - yet again." More >>
A New Zealand honey health science company and a German university have joined forces in a bid to set industry standards for the use of manuka honey products to heal wounds, overcome stomach and skin problems, and potentially in the fight against cancer. More >>
KiwiFM Audio: Wallace Chapman talks to the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, about KiwiSaver kicking off. Also, the PM details GP subsidies for you and me! More >>
PHARMAC’s decision to fund 9 weeks’ Herceptin treatment with a taxane as of July 1 will ease access to the drug for New Zealand women but the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) says 12 months is the internationally accepted standard of care ... More >>
A major milestone in the delivery of healthcare to all New Zealanders was reached today with the universal roll out of cheaper doctor visits and cheaper prescription charges. "This is an achievement I am immensely proud of, this is a day worth celebrating," ... More >>
The eight women taking Pharmac to court over its decision to fund Herceptin trials for only 9 weeks instead of 12 months is a very clear indication of the increasing sense of injustice felt by women requiring breast cancer treatment, says New Zealand ... More >>
Reports today in the media about how the Waikato DHB is taking steps to manage sick leave are incorrect, said acting chief executive Jerry Rickman. The Waikato DHB does not habitually follow up staff who are having a day off work. The DHB does however ... More >>
New funding for primary maternity services comes into effect this week (NB July 1) as part of the Government's ongoing commitment to strengthening the provision of primary maternity services. More >>
Health Minister Pete Hodgson is urging anyone interested in standing for this year’s District Health Board elections to start thinking about it now. Nominations for the October DHB elections open in less than a month, on Friday 27 July, and are being ... More >>
National Party Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins says David Benson-Pope must explain why he’s saying a ‘new’ health programme for people on sickness and invalids’ benefits is an extension of the PATHS programme. More >>
The Health of the Hospitals The hospital system continues to experience considerable difficulties with strike action by different groups - at the time of writing this radiographers are on a 'work to rule', laboratory technicians have rolling stoppages, ... More >>
Speech by Hon Pete Hodgson, Minister of Health to the Canterbury Medical School Mid-Winter Dialogue Series More >>
Spending money on the health and well-being of our children rather than cutting tax is the best investment for New Zealand’s future, say Health Minister Pete Hodgson and Minister for Social Development and Employment David Benson-Pope. More >>
The Greens are calling on the Government to urgently review current regulations governing the use of aspartame, following the release of a new three year study linking regular use of the sweetener with increased incidence of leukaemia, lymphoma and breast cancer ... More >>
The release of the report into abuses at state-run psychiatric institutions is a timely reminder that the Government has still not delivered justice for claimants in the Lake Alice Inquiry, says National Party Associate Health spokesman (Mental ... More >>
United Future leader Peter Dunne has welcomed the Government announcement of a $10 million a year fund aimed at getting welfare beneficiaries swifter medical care from private health providers so the beneficiaries can get back to work. More >>
Two-thirds of smokers in New Zealand have tried to quit in the past five years, the first comprehensive survey of New Zealanders' tobacco use shows. More >>
Confidential Forum for Former In-Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals: Questions and Answers More >>
The government today welcomed the report of the Confidential Forum for Former In-Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals, which has allowed former in-patients to discuss their experiences in an accessible, informal and confidential environment. More >>
Common sense has prevailed with the Cabinet decision to ban BZP and related party pills says New Zealand First health spokesperson Barbara Stewart. More >>
United Future MP Judy Turner is disappointed by the performance of the Associate Health Minister and the Expert Advisory Committee in taking so long to take action over the use of BZP in New Zealand. More >>
Jim Anderton, Associate Minister of Health and Leader of the Progressive Party, announced today that the cabinet had agreed to his recommendation to ban BZP and related party pills. More >>
The Green Party is disappointed by moves to ban benzylpiperazine (BZP) announced by the Government today. "The move to prohibition is foolhardy and unfortunate and force an illegal market," Green Party Drug Law Reform Spokesperson Metiria Turei ... More >>
The announcement of a new fund to give beneficiaries on sickness and invalid’s benefits access to procedures and treatment to help them back to work is well-timed says New Zealand First social services spokesperson, Barbara Stewart. More >>
National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall has released a second leaked district health board document outlining a “degree of recruitment panic” over the shortage of junior doctors in our hospitals. The documents say ‘there is an estimated demand ... More >>
Moves to finally ban BZP are being welcomed by National MP Jacqui Dean. “Though I’m pleased to see the Labour Government has finally decided to ban the drug, the whole process has taken far too long. More >>
Jim Anderton, Associate Minister of Health and Leader of the Progressive Party, announced today that the Cabinet had agreed to his recommendation to ban BZP and related party pills. More >>
Courts Minister Rick Barker said today that 1 July heralds the beginning of a 21st century coronial system. "On 1 July New Zealand will start a new era of coronial services when significant reforms designed to enhance public confidence in the integrity ... More >>
News that the Department of Labour has been under-reporting workplace deaths is further evidence of the need to give workers a greater role in workplace health and safety, says the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union. More >>
NZNO congratulates Hutt Valley District Health Board (DHB) on winning magnet hospital status. “We congratulate all the nursing staff and other health care staff at Hutt on achieving magnet status. It has been a long and exhaustive process which has revealed ... More >>
Clear signals that the Government's 'Diabetes Get Checked' programme was struggling from the start were simply ignored, says National's Associate Health spokeswoman, Dr Jackie Blue. More >>
National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall says a leaked district health board document shows growing alarm about a crisis in the number of junior doctors staffing our hospitals. More >>
National Party Labour and Industrial Relations spokeswoman Kate Wilkinson says the Government was warned in 2002 that there were serious gaps in the way it collected data on workplace deaths, but did nothing. More >>
Health researchers working on a groundbreaking asthma study to determine whether and why children raised on farms have greater asthma resistance want another 600 pregnant women from the lower North Island. More >>
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is a serious respiratory condition that generally develops as a result of tobacco smoking. It is the 4th leading cause of death in New Zealand. More >>
Yesterday evening I tendered my resignation from the board of ICP Biotechnology Limited with immediate effect. Since resigning as Managing Director of ICPbio, a number of local and overseas parties have offered me a range of opportunities from development ... More >>
PHARMAC is investing almost $10 million over the next five years to make a drug for chronic respiratory disease available to more New Zealanders. Deputy Medical Director Dr Dilky Rasiah says from July 1 more people with diseases such as chronic bronchitis ... More >>
“The date of the senior doctor stopwork meeting in the MidCentral District Health Board has been confirmed as part of the unprecedented national stopwork meetings over the impasse in the national collective agreement negotiations with the 21 DHBs,” ... More >>
The drop in smoking rates for teenagers over the past eight years is very pleasing and a strong vindication of the priority the Labour-led Government places on tobacco control, Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor said today. More >>
Police and health officials raided premises in Christchurch last week and seized nitrous oxide canisters intended for illegal inhalation. More >>
Why are some people tone deaf? This question has long puzzled scientists, but now New Zealand researchers have come up with surprising evidence about the brain processes involved. More >>
The Department of Labour is urging workplaces to instil a culture of safety in the wake of nine workplace fatalities this month, which the Department describes as "too high a price for work". More >>
New research showing an incredibly high turnover of nurses in public hospitals demonstrates the desperate need to re-engage health professionals in the running of the health system, says National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall. More >>
Northpower is experiencing an increasing number of calls during faults regarding customers who have electrical medical equipment. While some have been genuine, others have proven to be false or hoax calls, and have caused Northpower concern. More >>
Four out of ten staff nurses in New Zealand hospital general wards move jobs each year, costing hospitals on average nearly $25,000 to replace each one. A study at The University of Auckland looked at turnover of nurses at public hospitals around ... More >>
Figures released by ASH New Zealand show that teen smoking rates have halved in the last 8 years. In 2006, 14.2 percent of Year 10 New Zealand teenagers said they were smokers, down from 28.6 percent in 1999 according to the Year 10 Smoking Survey ... More >>
“Senior doctors will hold four 2-hour stopwork meetings in the Auckland region,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today. The stopwork meetings are not strike action and emergency cover will continue ... More >>
The country’s tobacco control leaders are meeting in Auckland this week to consider the future direction of tobacco control in New Zealand. More >>
“More and more patients languish on trolleys in hospital corridors, because New Zealand's major hospital emergency departments are still failing to see emergency patients soon enough,” says National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall. More >>
For hundreds of years Maori have accessed the botanical flora of this country to use in traditional healing. Yet just as such indigenous healing is undergoing a renaissance in popularity and use, Maori say their herbal medicine is under serious threat. More >>
At least 16 species of native bird could be affected by avian influenza, if the disease were to enter New Zealand, the Department of Conservation says. More >>
The Green Party is pleased that organic bread has been exempted from a new standard requiring mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid More >>
Food Safety Minister Annette King says today's joint New Zealand and Australian decision to go ahead with mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid is a triumph for humanity and common sense. More >>
ACC wishes to respond to the statement in this story that "She then made her way to Hawke’s Bay Hospital, but left when she found filling out forms for accident compensation too hard." More >>
There's been a lot said recently about 'foreign doctors', and much of it has been hostile. Foreign-trained doctors have no control over their skin colour or their accent when speaking in a second language. My first criteria when looking for a doctor ... More >>
"Workers and their families want safe workplaces and to feel confident that they will return home from work at the end of each day," CTU secretary Carol Beaumont said today. More >>
“The dates of the senior doctor stopwork meetings in Wellington and Hutt Valley have been confirmed as part of the unprecedented national stopwork meetings over the impasse in the national collective agreement negotiations with district health ... More >>
A comprehensive review of governance arrangements currently in place at Waikato District Health Board has been released to the organisation's 5340 staff. More >>
With the achievement of universal, affordable primary health care less than two weeks away it's time for John Key and National to come clean on their policy on cheaper doctor's visits and prescriptions, Health Minister Pete Hodgson said today. More >>
National Manager, Val Norton, says, “Every year, around one percent of New Zealanders get burned. That’s 41,000 people according to latest population estimates. Ten percent of burn victims will require hospitalisation, and 10 percent of those (410 ... More >>
The case of a Wellington woman who became seriously unwell after consuming excessive amounts of the controversial additive aspartame in chewing gum underlines the urgent need for consumer information and warnings about potential side effects, Green Party ... More >>
A PhD student whose research could contribute to a cure for the fatal brain disorder Huntington’s disease has been named the 2007 MacDiarmid Young Scientist of the Year at a function held in Auckland tonight. More >>
Members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation working in residential aged care have chosen today, the shortest day of the year, to highlight continued staffing shortages in aged care facilities. More >>
Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor has expressed concern at how little attention is being given to available pharmaceutical aids to help surgical patients quit smoking. More >>
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced its intention to donate 50 million doses of H5N1 adjuvanted pre-pandemic influenza vaccine to the World Health Organization (WHO) in support of its stockpile initiative. The donation will help establish a much needed ... More >>
Pharmac has ditched its Ritalin subsidy and Kiwi kids are being left to suffer the consequences, says National's Associate Health spokesman, Jonathan Coleman. More >>
Creative thinking about the future for the health and disability workforce is needed to ensure the health system is able to look after the needs of New Zealanders in the future, Health Minister Pete Hodgson says. More >>
The Lautoka Hospital Paediatric Department will receive a major shipment of critical medical equipment this week as a result of the Accor Hotels fund raising initiative for Cure Kids Fiji. More >>
Defence Minister Phil Goff and Veterans' Affairs Minister Rick Barker today presented a cheque for $250,000 to the EVSA (Neville Wallace Memorial) Children's and Grandchildren's Trust. More >>
Key goals of the Get Checked diabetes programme are being achieved despite mischief-making by National’s health spokesman, Health Minister Pete Hodgson says. More >>
The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation is pleased to announce that nominations for the biennial Asthma and Respiratory Achievers’ Awards are now open. Who do you know that is remarkable, and when was the last time you told them? This is your chance ... More >>
The Government is struggling to get even the basics right in its ‘Diabetes Get Checked’ programme, says National’s Health spokesman Tony Ryall. The annual check-up for people with diabetes has been severely criticised in an Auditor General's report ... More >>
A unique five-day programme to “help people help themselves” heal from cancer will be launched in the Waikato next month by a two-time cancer survivor. Health Journeys NZ will host the inaugural five-day programme for people battling cancer, ... More >>
Figures released under the Official Information Act from Minister of Health Pete Hodgson to GiveLife NZ today show there were 55 potential organ donors last year but just 25 went on to become actual donors. More >>
The FDA held a public hearing on June 12 and 13, 2007, to obtain feedback on the FDA's Medication Guide program. Medication Guides contain the FDA-approved patient information for a drug and are handed out by pharmacists to help prevent adverse ... More >>
The Mental Health Commission says people with mental illness and/or addictions are at growing risk as housing affordability issues cause greater hardship. More >>
New Zealand's leading software exporter, Orion Health has been chosen by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) to build a new document tracking solution to improve access and filing for over 7 million patient notes. More >>
At the dazzling Fire & Ice Ball on Friday night more than $140,000 was raised at auction. The money will be used to directly finance medical research into finding a cure for breast cancer. More >>
Ships visiting New Zealand now have to meet tougher new international quarantine controls. More >>
Eye experts have warned of the threat of glaucoma to wearers of non-prescription reading glasses. More >>
Latest research confirms influenza can trigger heart attacks Doctors need to take concerted action to ensure that people who are at risk of heart disease receive influenza immunisation every year, according to the authors of a new study1 published in the ... More >>
Nelson’s St John Ambulance Service is to move to a new base in lower Queen Street, Richmond, on land owned by Nelson Pine Industries, across the road from their wood processing plant. More >>
Nelson's St John Ambulance Service is to move to a new base in lower Queen Street, Richmond, on land owned by Nelson Pine Industries. St John Nelson is celebrating 75 years in Nelson this year. More >>
An estimated 450 people per year with colorectal cancer will have access to more convenient treatment from July 1 following a decision by PHARMAC. Dr Moodie says the decision will cost at least $1.7 million a year. More >>
The so-called ‘solution’ to the Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill proposed by Winston Peters is little more than a sham, said the founder of the consumer watchdog the NZ Health Trust. More >>
After getting bashed round the ears by Carol "the energy-bunny" Dodd, to come out and support the event, I spent last Saturday at the Otangarei Community Festival, and folks - I really enjoyed myself. More >>
The College of GPs has hailed Government moves to double GP training numbers as a “serious start” to dealing to the GP shortage. Health Minister Pete Hodgson announced in Rotorua today he is to boost training numbers to more than 100 on the College’s ... More >>
The number of ACC cases landing in my in-box and on my table is growing at an alarming rate. A recent discussion I had with a person affected by ACC's flip-flop attitude provided me with plenty of food for thought about how the corporation works. More >>
The successful prosecution of the owners of New Plymouth’s PaknSave supermarket highlights the potential dangers of carbon monoxide to workers in poorly ventilated workplaces, says the Department of Labour. More >>
On the eve of the report back of the Australia-New Zealand Therapeutic Goods Agency legislation, United Future leader Peter Dunne has set out his party's position on the proposed legislation. More >>
A Union that represents workers in aged care residential homes and the community is marking World Elder Abuse Awareness Day by calling on District Health Boards and employers to quickly sort out their new contracts and give caregivers a desperately ... More >>
Smile, what’s the use of crying? You’ll find that life is still worthwhile if you just smile And so it would seem. All the psychological studies tell us that doors open to people who smile. People listen to people who smile. Employers look favourably ... More >>
The Government’s silence during International Men’s Health Week (June 11-17) has been deafening, according to United Future’s deputy leader Judy Turner. More >>
Volunteer Awareness week (17-23 June) provides New Zealand Red Cross the opportunity to acknowledge and thank its pool of 25,000 volunteers operating across the country fulfilling many roles. More >>
From next February the number of fully funded places for General Practice training will rise from 69 a year to 104, Health Minister Pete Hodgson said today at the Continuing Medical Education conference in Rotorua. More >>
Wairarapa has topped New Zealand for their work in immunising babies under 12 months. The DHB lists the health of children and young people as one of its health priorities. More >>
Wairarapa Hospital volunteers are launching a new service - tracking down of overdue loan equipment - while they are celebrating 'Volunteers Week' next week. More >>
New Zealand Blood Service celebrated World Blood Donor Day on Thursday 14 June with a star-packed celebrity morning tea at its Epsom Centre in Auckland. More >>
The Green Party is concerned that the Ministry of Health's response to toxic toothpaste on sale in New Zealand is inadequate. More >>
Mr Speaker, the Maori Party always recognises the value of ancestral traditions in informing the present generation. We do recognise however that we have been subjected to influences which include values and beliefs from other world views. More >>
Students in Taranaki illustrate their feelings about being smokefree in a poster competition to celebrate World Smokefree Day. More >>
I move that the motion be amended by omitting “Dr Rosemary Jane Fenwicke of Wellington” and substituting “Dr Ate Moala of Wellington”. Mr Speaker, I regard the Abortion Supervisory Committee as the single most important supervisory body in New Zealand. More >>
The abortion figures for 2006 released by Statistics NZ today continue to paint a terrible picture for our teenagers. More >>
A delegation of 12 Chinese anaesthetists will receive world class training in the Baxter Operating Theatre at the University of Auckland’s Advanced Clinical Skills Centre (ACSC) from 18 to 23 June 2007. The visiting specialists have been selected ... More >>
Director-General of Health Stephen McKernan is warning consumers against using Chinese-made toothpastes as they may contain diethylene glycol. More >>
The number of abortions performed in New Zealand increased slightly in the year ended December 2006, Statistics New Zealand said today. A total of 17,930 induced abortions were performed in New Zealand in the December 2006 year, 400 (2.3 percent) ... More >>
"Pete Hodgson promised to listen to the advice of cancer specialists on Herceptin. He isn't," says National Party Associate Health spokeswoman Jackie Blue. More >>
United Future deputy leader Judy Turner is dismayed that a trained health professional would proactively support the current regulatory status of substances that at least should be regulated to the same standard as over-the-counter prescription medicines. More >>
A petition calling for the party pill drug BZP to remain legal will be presented to Parliament today, Thursday 14 June, at noon. ACT MP Heather Roy will receive the petition, which has been signed by approximately 2000 New Zealanders, from Libertarianz ... More >>
"Parents will be appalled that it'll be at least another six years before we start seeing improvements in the oral health of Kiwi kids," says National Party Associate Health spokeswoman Jo Goodhew. "In opposition Helen Clark said child oral health ... More >>
“Pete Hodgson’s been caught short on the same day he has offered assurances about access to mental health services for young Kiwis,” says National Party Associate Health spokesman Jonathan Coleman. More >>
Some seniors are starving and facing poverty, depression and health breakdowns through neglect, most due to their own families intentionally depriving them. More >>
Comments from opposition health spokesman Tony Ryall that "Pete Hodgson should assure himself that there are no conflicts of interest on District Health Boards" are a rather obvious attempt to smear a Capital and Coast District Health Board member, ... More >>
Athletics legend Allison Roe and businesswoman Christine Rankin led crowds in a protest against the Government’s plans for natural health products today. More >>
ASH NZ unites with the Smokefree Coalition and Te Reo Marama in calling for the immediate withdrawal of New Zealand branded duty-free cigarettes available in airport stores throughout the country. More >>
The Hawke's Bay & Chatham Island Smokefree Coalition are supporting the call for the immediate withdrawal of New Zealand-branded cigarettes from duty free outlets. More >>
Cancer researchers in Germany today announced the results of a study showing a New Zealand company's bee-product extract suppresses a type of tumour affecting one in 3000 people. More >>
New Zealand men play Russian roulette with their health, says a leading lecturer in men’s health issues. More >>
The Hawke’s Bay Medical Research Foundation is pleased to announce it has made grants to the total value of $90,200 for medical research in the coming year. More >>
The Smokefree Coalition and Te Reo Marama (the Māori Smokefree Coalition) are calling for the immediate withdrawal of New Zealand-branded duty free cigarettes available in airport stores throughout the country, saying they are an affront to all New Zealanders. More >>
World Blood Donor Day ‘07 highlights how important blood donors are to ensuring that new babies and mothers have access to a safe and consistent supply of blood and blood products. More >>
Pharmac's refusal to fund a crucial nutritional supplement Neocate Advance for a 5-year-old boy who has multiple food allergies is a case of the "lunatics running the asylum," says National Party Associate Health spokeswoman (Pharmacare) Dr Jackie ... More >>
In common with many other areas of the public health system the ambulance service is struggling to perform under the weight of the demands made on it, says New Zealand First health spokesperson, Barbara Stewart. More >>
In 1994 Nicola Grace was diagnosed with leukaemia and given six months to live, a 32-year-old New Zealander then living in Australia whose life options had suddenly run out. More >>
The Education Minister is sending seriously conflicting messages to school boards about how to implement new National Administration Guidelines relating to the provision of food in canteens and tuck shops, says National's Education spokeswoman, Katherine ... More >>
Australian and New Zealand scientists will join forces to understand and fight tuberculosis – looking for its Achilles’ heel. The collaboration was announced today during a visit by New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark to the Australian Synchrotron in ... More >>
Giving up smoking reduces people's chances of dying from chronic diseases including smoking related lung diseases, cardiovascular disease and smoking-related cancers the Ministry of Health says. More >>
What would you consider our society’s most serious health problem – cancer, heart disease, obesity? More >>
New Zealand gourmet pie company Jesters NZ Ltd today responded to the unveiling of a strategy within the National Administration Guidelines, which will require schools to sell only 'healthy' foods in tuck shops from June next year. Jesters Pies Director ... More >>
A new study shows that lung damage in smokers continues to progress, even after they have stopped smoking. The finding comes from an international team of researchers in respiratory medicine including a Massey University clinical pharmacology lecturer, ... More >>
A new study shows that lung damage in smokers continues to progress, even after they have stopped smoking. The finding comes from an international team of researchers in respiratory medicine including a Massey University clinical pharmacology lecturer, ... More >>
The first meetings will be held at Waitemata on 17 July followed by Tairawhiti (18 July), Northland (19 July) and Tauranga (20 July). Announcements of further meetings will be made later. They are not strike action. More >>
June 13th is World Heart Rhythm Day. Heart rhythm disturbances can be fatal and can strike young people. On June 13th World Heart Rhythm Day will be commemorated across the globe. In New Zealand, the emphasis should be on education, says Associate Professor ... More >>
ambulance technology improves patient care More >>
Health Minister Pete Hodgson says a whole generation of New Zealanders living longer than ever, means researchers are investigating how early and effective health advice can maximise older people's health. More >>
The New Zealand Principals’ Federation has spoken out against the news that schools will be banned from selling unhealthy food. More >>
Four non recreational drowning fatalities contributed to a total of five drowning deaths for the month of May according to statistics released by Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ). More >>
The Immigration service is yet to find 40 Zimbabwean nationals who are now overstaying after not having applied for residence during a special HIV/AIDS residency amnesty period, says New Zealand First associate immigration spokesperson Peter Brown. More >>
New Zealand First mental health spokesperson Ron Mark says he's concerned about the lack of mental health facilities on offer for youth at risk of committing violent or sexual crime. More >>
The announcement that senior doctors would be holding unprecedented stopwork meetings next month means that strike action has now been either taken or threatened by almost everyone in the health system from cleaners to senior doctors, says New Zealand First ... More >>
Since 2001 the number of ACC claims for motorcycle accidents has nearly doubled, and annual ACC claim costs now exceed $52 million (not including treatment in public hospitals). More >>
The Obesity Action Coalition is very supportive of the changes to the National Administration Guidelines being announced today that will see only healthy food being available for sale at schools. More >>
Ordering schools to sell only foods that are deemed to be healthy are a band-aid solution and will not tackle the main contributing factor to obesity, according to Family First National Director Bob McCoskrie. More >>
The money is there – but infertile couples due for their first IVF treatment this May and June have been turned back because of how funding is allocated. The delay is creating a bottleneck in the waiting list for all IVF patients needing treatment ... More >>
"Labour's move to ban certain foods from school canteens and tuck shops is a typically bureaucratic answer to childhood obesity," says National Party Education spokeswoman Katherine Rich. More >>
The Office of Film and Literature Classification has classified the book The Peaceful Pill Handbook as objectionable, meaning that it is banned in New Zealand. More >>
We're in the midst of an epidemic of autism. There is no other word for it. On average in the U.S., one in every 150 kids is autistic. One in every 94 boys has the disorder. Some places have much worse statistics. More >>
More and more men are electing to have prostate cancer surgery with private specialists, says National’s Associate Health spokeswoman, Dr Jackie Blue More >>
On May 21, 2007, the New England Journal of Medicine reported a study that found GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug Avandia is associated with a 43% increase in heart attacks and possibly a 64% increase in cardiovascular death. The NEJM said it posted ... More >>
When Mormon feminist Judith Dushku learned that Mitt Romney, her former bishop and friend, counseled a woman to come to full term with her sixth pregnancy --despite overwhelming medical advice that the life of mother and child were seriously endangered ... More >>
Pharmaceutical company Roche is taking responsible action with its voluntary recall of the anti-HIV treatment nelfinavir (Viracept), says government drug-funding agency PHARMAC. More >>
Service workers have lifted a week of strike notices for all DHBs and contractors. More >>
"Less than 24 hours after Clayton Cosgrove was promising improved cancer treatment times, Wellington cancer patients have been warned of delays because of bureaucratic 'heel-dragging'," says National's Health spokesman, Tony Ryall. More >>
The New Zealand AIDS Foundation is advising HIV-positive people on the protease inhibitor Viracept to seek medical advice immediately following a global recall of the medication by its manufacturer, Roche. More >>
Helping Kiwi men have fulfilling and happy lives as they grow older is the aim of this year’s International Men’s Health Week (11 – 17 June). Age Concern New Zealand and the College of Nurses (Aotearoa) NZ are leading the celebrations and ... More >>
The Pan American Health Organization ( PAHO ), a regional arm of the United Nations World Health Organization ( WHO ), called today for the elimination of industrial trans fats from food supplies throughout the Americas in order to prevent heart attacks. More >>
The Veterinary Association is pleased the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has granted New Zealand the most favourable category for its BSE risk status, says NZVA vice president, Dr Richard Wild. More >>
New Zealand's Pandemic Planning is well advanced and stands us in good stead for any future pandemic event, Health Minister Pete Hodgson said today from the APEC Health Minister's meeting in Sydney. Health Ministers of APEC`s 21-member countries ... More >>
We, the undersigned, wish to advise the people of Canterbury that clinicians and managers from Canterbury DHB are working collaboratively to address issues in Christchurch Hospital’s Emergency Department. More >>
Spotless Services has today announced that any additional hospital sector funding granted by the DHBs as a result of current negotiations with the Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU) will be passed onto Spotless staff. More >>
St John ambulance officers, calltakers, dispatchers and their fellow St John members are very humble. They’re usually the last to talk about the difference they make to communities all over New Zealand - 24/7, 365 days a year. Instead they quietly ... More >>
June 7, 2007 Orion Health, a leading provider of clinical workflow and integration technology for the healthcare sector, has been named in a prestigious North American list of top 100 companies of healthcare IT providers for the second year in a row. More >>
National Party health spokesman Tony Ryall says the ‘coup’ at the Christchurch Hospital Emergency Department (ED) could be a catalyst for positive change. “This is a chance for a real breakthrough in the public health system. Clinicians are seeking ... More >>
Charles Chauvel, lawyer and Labour List MP Resident in Wellington, has paid tribute to Mr Garry Evans for his 10 years’ of service as Coroner for Wellington. More >>
The importance of early testing for glaucoma will be stressed in a campaign to be launched during this year's Glaucoma Week (June 16th-23rd). More >>
“Michael Cullen must restore confidence in the judicial appointment process by declaring who he consulted before deciding to sack long-serving Wellington coroner Garry Evans,” says National’s Shadow Attorney-General Chris Finlayson. More >>
University of Otago researchers gained $28.6m in the latest Health Research Council (HRC) funding for research projects to improve the health of New Zealanders. More >>
The Minister of Research, Science and Technology, Steve Maharey, is welcoming the announcement of $59 million to fund key research into health issues that affect New Zealanders. More >>
The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) has successfully completed a three year, $100 million project upgrading its computer systems. At its peak the project involved 170 staff and deployment stretched over 6 months. More >>
Heart injury and mental health are two significant health issues to be investigated by Christchurch researchers following the latest funding round results announced by the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) today. More >>
The new site NZMedical which provides instant quotes, full information and online applications for persons or families wanting Medical Insurance in New Zealand. More >>
Thirteen new coroners have been appointed under the new Coroners Act 2006, Attorney-General Michael Cullen announced today. The new coroners join Chief Coroner Judge Neil MacLean appointed in December last year. More >>
The Labour-led government is delivering a full programme of support for children with hearing loss, including screening of newborns, providing cochlear implants, and extra support in school, says Education Minister Steve Maharey and Health Minister ... More >>
United Future leader Peter Dunne says scrapping between Labour and National over the Muliaga case is becoming unseemly and should stop as a mark of respect to Mrs Muliaga and her family. More >>
Efforts by Solid Energy staff, Rotarians and schools on the West Coast during May helped raise more than $17,600 for the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust, the fundraising body behind the Solid Energy Rescue Helicopter. More >>
The Government is to fund, from July, qualified overseas trained doctors to complete their medical registration in New Zealand, Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor announced today. More >>
Physical activity and exercise are under-utilised tools in the effort to improve the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders. For many Kiwis the physical activity of daily living has seriously reduced to levels which could see life expectancy retreating ... More >>
The recent appointment of Elizabeth Mataka as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's new Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa is a first in many ways. More >>
The treatment of serious disease will continue to be a focus for New Zealand with an additional six years of funding allocated to the Maurice Wilkins Centre. More >>
We, as an organisation, have real concerns about the very high turnover of staff providing daily care for older New Zealanders in their homes. The recent release from Business New Zealand has a turnover rate of 39 percent, but our information ... More >>
The Board of directors of ING Property Trust Management Limited (the “ING Board”) has advised that merger discussions with the Board of directors of the manager of Calan Healthcare Properties Trust (“Calan”) have ended. More >>
Australian drug discovery company, Bionomics Limited (ASX: BNO), announced today that their latest findings indicate that BNC105 disrupts the vasculature in human prostate tumours grown in mice, expanding on its previously demonstrated preclinical ... More >>
The recent appointment of Elizabeth Mataka as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's new Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa is a first in many ways. More >>
British experts would have sensed foul play earlier in the 1999 Dunedin insulin murder case than New Zealand forensic specialists, a world authority on insulin murders says. More >>
Health Freedom Protest action organizer, Nicola Grace says “Helen Clark has got a nerve criticizing Mercury Energy for cutting off power supply leading to the death of Mrs Muliaga when her government is moving to cut off supply of vital natural health ... More >>
As World No Tobacco Day is celebrated today, the United Nations World Health Organization ( WHO ) called for stamping out smoking in the workplace to protect people from second-hand fumes. More >>
The Department of Labour has called on the thoroughbred horseracing industry to implement new procedures around track safety, in the wake of an incident that left a jockey seriously injured. More >>
Past and present patients, staff and board members of the Newtown Union Health service are celebrating the service's 20th birthday later this month. More >>
How many people realise a staggering 90 New Zealanders acquire a brain injury every day? That is nearly 33,000 every year, not including family and friends whose lives are also disrupted. More >>
A new Vietnamese-New Zealand partnership that produces natural products from native medicinal plants has won a prestigious United Nation's award, with a support package that includes US$8000 to further develop the partnership. More >>
Osteoporosis is one of most widely felt and debilitating diseases in New Zealand. It is also one of the most preventable. More >>
Efforts to reduce the cost to New Zealand taxpayers’ lower back pain will be a key issue discussed at the national physiotherapist conference in Rotorua in August. Conference organiser Duncan Reid said low back pain is a major contributor to loss ... More >>
The Defense Department (DoD) has just declassified a report from their Inspector General (OIG) looking at the various investigations that the Department has conducted into repeated claims of detainee abuse – a.k.a. "torture" and "cruel, inhuman, ... More >>
Medical research in New Zealand received a significant boost today, with the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research receiving a $120,000 donation from Ryman Healthcare. More >>
The Hawke’s Bay Smokefree Coalition believes parents and caregivers have a key role to play when it comes to keeping young people smokefree. “May 31st is World Smokefree Day and I urge parents and caregivers to quit for their kids,” says Perry ... More >>
What recommendations on banning BZP, if any, has Jim Anderton taken to Cabinet? That’s the question being asked by National MP Jacqui Dean. “First the Associate Health Minister was going to take his recommendations to Cabinet by March and then it was ... More >>
The tragedy of the death of Folole Muliaga in Mangere was a tragedy waiting to happen. There is the usual smokescreen of inquiries but whatever details emerge it is abundantly clear that the quest for profit in a state-owned company has come before the basic ... More >>
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