Eileen Goodwin

An Otago man is one of nine travellers who arrived in New Zealand from the South Pacific this month infected with the Zika virus.

The odd cultural misunderstanding was inevitable - and would probably provide a few laughs - while helping refugees navigate everyday life and settle into Dunedin, prospective volunteers at a Red Cross information meeting were told last night.

Prof Wayne Gillett has helped thousands of women with infertility and chronic pelvic pain conditions. He spoke to health reporter Eileen Goodwin about his achievements in medicine.

Implants inserted in the brains of alcoholics in research under way in Dunedin are not having quite the desired effect but are producing promising early results, nonetheless.

The Hepatitis C Resource Centre Otago faces an uncertain future after a loss of Ministry of Health funding, just as publicity about an offshore ‘‘buyers' club'' has created a stir among sufferers of the disease.

A proposal for 25 apartments in central Dunedin has a tick of approval from a Dunedin City Council planner, who says the project will contribute to the city's vibrancy.

It could be seen as rubbing salt in the wound - asking Dunedin Hospital kitchen workers to shift to Auckland.

The Ministry of Health got involved in a patient safety row at Southland Hospital's emergency department after a clinician complained that patients were being harmed by inadequate staffing.

The surprise rise in child poverty revealed this week is because fewer people now benefit from economic growth, and it is hurting families in which both parents work, Methodist Mission chief executive Laura Black says.

Seven redundancies have been confirmed in the Dunedin Hospital kitchen as part of its outsourcing to a multinational company.

Lower property prices give regional cities like Dunedin a necessary edge against big-city competitors, independent economist Shamubeel Eaqub says.

Alcohol company Lion has accused academics of cherry-picking information for a critique of Lion-funded research that had denied a direct link between alcohol and violence.

Making media organisations pay for official information is a worrying sign, a University of Otago public law specialist says.

Time limits on community grants for the physio pool upgrade in Dunedin may become an issue, but it is hoped the upgrade will begin before the grants start to expire, Otago Therapeutic Pool Trust trustee Fred Daniel says.

The fifth floor of Dunedin Hospital's ward block will be transformed by an expanded and rebuilt intensive care unit and a new high-dependency unit, the project leaders say.

A 17% rise in child poverty revealed in this year's child poverty report has perplexed child health researchers and is likely to reignite the income inequality debate.

A dialysis patient who was ineligible for funded treatment racked up $647,477 in treatment costs at the cash-strapped Southern District Health Board, an Official Information Act request reveals.

Redundancy costs in hospital kitchens are likely to be lower than expected because some long-serving staff have already gone, the Southern District Health Board expects.