Stories by Rowan Quinn

Te Whatu Ora has been unable to say which parts of the hospital system are safely staffed, despite saying that was a critical factor in its decision to cut costs.

While Health NZ says the freeze doesn't apply to clinical roles, some staff are reporting jobs going vacant for months at a time. Audio

Respiratory illnesses are making people sicker than in previous years and many are developing pneumonia, doctors say. Audio

There are no interventional radiologists on-call at Waikato Hospital on weeknights, meaning patients must go elsewhere.

The hospital building has been empty for months - but when it opens next month, effectively no extra patients will get operations. Audio

One general practitioner said they'd managed a heart patient "into the grave" because she could not get the care she needed. Audio

Heart and cancer patients are likely to miss out on surgery because the operations aren't classed as a "life-preserving service".

Vickie Hudson-Craig pays $5500 a month for the drugs that keep her alive. Now her hope is "wiped away".

New Zealand last whooping cough outbreak was in 2017 and 2018. It's due for another one, Te Whatu Ora warns.

Not one senior doctor has been hired since an internal report calling for more.

Te Whatu Ora says it has a plan to prevent hospitals getting clogged during flu season - it just hasn't released it in a single document yet.

Much more disruption is expected this week as half the country's doctors - about 2500 - walk off the job from 16 to 18 May.

The doctor said he was the only one on duty for "more than 50" patients the night an elderly man died, in a case criticised by the Health and Disability Commission.

The proposal shows Te Whatu Ora doesn't understand what general practitioners do, a spokesperson says. Audio

Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say.

Hospitals have contingency plans in place for the strike by about 2500 junior doctors across the country. Audio

"They should be condemned, the lot of them. They fault constantly," says the mother of preschooler Harper Cromie.

Hospitals around the country are not allowed to make a single hiring decision without the approval of Te Whatu Ora's head office, including for cleaners and administration staff.

The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to review costs.

A series of assaults and pleas by staff had led to the initial funding of guards.

Demand for private care will keep growing in the face of public waiting lists, an expert says.

By the time they finish years of training, many are finding there are few jobs around.

It is madness to have eight operating theatres sitting empty in the face of huge surgical wait lists, doctor says.

A building the size of a provincial hospital is sitting empty on Auckland's North Shore and has no opening date. Audio

Every available space is being used, including procedure and plastering rooms. Audio