Karen Brown
Covid-19: NZ Olympics team members reportedly positive
China's capital Beijing is poised and ready for the launch of the 24th Winter Olympics tomorrow.
Two-hundred-and-fifty people have tested positive on arrival in China, but so far that's within the… Audio
Covid-19: NSW epidemiologist on situation in Sydney
Australia's Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney is worsening, with seven more deaths reported yesterday alone.
That took deaths in New South Wales during the outbreak to 107, with close to 1000 people in… Audio
Can New Zealand's mental health crisis be cured?
New Zealand's mental health system is starting on a major overhaul. Karen Brown asks what's needed to help those living with mental illness. Video, Audio
Coming up
40,000 more New Zealanders to begin screening for bowel cancer.
About 40 thousand more New Zealanders are set to begin receiving potentially life-saving screening for bowel cancer. Twelve thousand of them live in the Whanganui District Health Board area, which… Audio
Shortage of staff hampering screenings for bowel cancer
A senior gastroenterologist says many more specialists and others are needed to provide a key procedure that is vital to screening for bowel cancer. Whanganui District Health Board will become the… Audio
Pregnant women join world-first flu study
From today, hundreds of pregnant women in Wellington will be invited to join a world-first, international research project on flu. The aim is both a better understanding of flu and the development of… Audio
Old hospital facilities keep patients waiting say doctors
Frustrated Palmerston North doctors have written to their district health board and the Health Minister complaining about a crisis involving old and substandard acute hospital facilities. Senior… Audio
Palmerston North doctors say hospital facilities are outdated
Doctors at Palmerston North Hospital have told their bosses there aren't enough operating theatres, the emergency department is totally inadequate and the intensive care unit is outdated. Their… Audio
Average of seven seats to change hands in each DHB election
Seven seats on the boards of almost every district health board are up for grabs on Saturday in the local body elections. All but the embattled Waikato DHB, which is under a commissioner, will be part… Audio
Radiographers go on strike
Strike action by radiographers is expected to cause major disruption at public hospitals. Hundreds of workers who take x-rays and scans walked off the job at 7am for 24 hours and will do the same… Audio
Public hospitals brace for mass strike next week
Public hospitals are bracing for what they say will be a coordinated campaign of strike action affecting around 12,000 patients a day from next week. It follows a lack of progress in talks involving… Audio
Porirua family doctor says measles vaccine has run out
A family doctor in a high-needs community in Porirua near Wellington, says they're completely out of the measles vaccine. Bryan Betty works at Porirua and Community Medical Centre in Cannon's Creek… Audio
Doctors say improvements needed for hip fractures
Doctors say more needs to be done to improve the treatment provided to often frail older people who fall and break a hip. Nearly four thousand New Zealanders fracture their hip a year, costing health… Audio
NZ falling behind in cancer survival rates
New Zealand is falling behind other countries -- especially Australia -- when it comes to surviving cancer. That's the key conclusion of an international study of cancer survival, published in Lancet… Audio
Tracking measles cases increasing doctors' workload
Auckland GPs in the grip of the measles outbreak have a massive job tracking and checking people who may have become infected in the doctors' waiting rooms. The disease continues to spread in the city… Audio
Measles outbreak: Top doctors call for national immunisation programme
Top doctors in Waikato and Northland are making an urgent call for a national immunisation programme against measles. Measles cases continue to climb in Auckland, with an extra eight in the past day… Audio
Doctors promise faster diagnosis under new cancer plan
Cancer doctors are promising faster diagnosis of cancer and better chances of survival for all New Zealanders under a new plan announced on Sunday. The government unveiled its long-awaited ten-year… Audio
Otago University doctor appointed interim head of new cancer agency
An Otago University public health doctor and cancer epidemiologist has been appointed as the interim national director of the new Cancer Control Agency announced by the Government yesterday. Otago… Audio
Government to unveil its national cancer strategy this weekend
The Government will unveil its national cancer strategy this weekend. There's a sense of eager anticipation surrounding the event, with many in the health sector hoping it will include setting up a… Audio
Nurses union promises changes after report reveals weaknesses
The nurses union is promising major changes after a highly critical review of its pay bargaining process last year. Nurses achieved a pay deal mid last year, after long and complex negotiations with… Audio