Health
12-month prescriptions now available
Patients can now get a script for up to 12 months of medication - up from three - with their doctor's permission.
Wellington City Mission launches free dental service
Appointments would be available by referral only from social agencies across the Greater Wellington region.
How your brain can be trained like a muscle
When the brain is asked to stretch beyond routine, that slight mental discomfort is often the sign that the brain is being trained, a neurologist says.
Carol Ann Maher: Healthy body, healthy mind
With summer and the festive season coinciding in the southern hemisphere, many of us are now dealing with the consequences of holiday weight gain. Audio
Hospitals IT failure follows start of new group to fix old systems
An IT failure that forced some hospitals to rely on pen and paper for 12 hours follows closely on the government setting up a new centre to try to fix the plethora of weak old systems.
New 60-bed unit opens at NZ's largest forensic mental health facility
The $162 million building will replace leaky, ageing units with ongoing air quality issues.
GPs warn ADHD changes may not be as effective as needed
GPs and nurse prescribers will be able to diagnose attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD in adults from next week, but they won't be funded for it. Those working in the sector are warning… Audio
Cybersecurity group identifies person behind Manage My Health hack
The International Online Crime Coordination Centre has been tracking the hacker following the breach.
First product to help people quit vaping approved in New Zealand
The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation has welcomed the move as "an important step in the fight against New Zealand's vaping epidemic".
The Auckland doctor who uprooted his family to work in Nepal
Snake bites, leprosy, tuberculosis, malnutrition were all conditions quite unfamiliar to young Kiwi, Greg Judkins.
Concern GPs not ready for 'neurodiversity tsunami'
Getting a diagnosis will be easier from next week after a law change - but doctors will not be funded for it.
Year-long prescriptions not the cure for ailing health system - pharmacist
A Te Awamutu pharmacist is concerned changes to prescriptions happening this week will burden pharmacists. Audio
Greater role for genetics in driving human lifespan, study finds
At about 50 percent, the results are roughly double what prior research concluded.
Staff, public deserve answers after major IT outage at hospitals, union says
The most recent IT outage to hospitals in the upper North Island happened over a 12-hour period between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Audio
Alcohol consumption 'way too high' in NZ - health expert
Alcohol harm costs the economy $9.1b a year, and the substance is linked to more than 200 medical conditions, Te Whatu Ora's medical officer of health says.
New prescription rules set to come into force
New prescription rules come into force next week. From February 1st people can get prescriptions for up to 12 months - rather than three - if their doctor deems it safe. Gemma Perry-Waterhouse, a… Audio
What’s causing IT outages in NZ hospitals?
For 12 hours from Wednesday night to Thursday morning this week, clinicians had to use pen and paper after an IT outage in Auckland and Northland hospitals. Dr Ulrich Speidel, a senior lecturer in… Audio
New Zealanders missing out on motor neurone disease treatment, study shows
A low uptake of New Zealanders with motor neurone disease are using the only publicly funded treatment available for the disease, a new study shows.
Huge demand for free pop-up dental clinic
The Hawke's Bay town of Wairoa has been without a full-time dentist for the last five years. Audio
