GPs reassured over rural health funding changes
GPs reassured over rural health funding changes
General practices facing a major rural funding shake-up are being reassured by the Southern District Health Board.
Eileen Goodwin
Medical Council role comes to end
Medical Council role comes to end
The Dunedin-based chairman of New Zealand's medical regulator is stepping down after four years.
'Corny' line beginning of life long partnership
'Corny' line beginning of life long partnership
Cliff McAuley admits using a ''corny'' line to start a conversation with his future wife Ethel, when the pair met in 1946, for the first time.
Hospital readmission rate warning
Hospital readmission rate warning
A rise in the proportion of southern health patients readmitted to hospital has prompted a warning it could be linked to recent budget-driven bed cuts.
Go for it, oil and gas opponents advised
Go for it, oil and gas opponents advised
Vocally oppose oil and gas exploration and you will probably not stop it going ahead, but the safety standards and pay-offs for the community will be higher.
Equal pay case under appeal
Equal pay case under appeal
Appealing an equal pay case has put the aged care industry into an ''awkward situation'' because it would ''love'' to pay carers more, Aged Care Association Otago Southland board member Malcolm Hendry says.
St John ambulance hire fee rise felt in the South
St John ambulance hire fee rise felt in the South
A 38% fee increase for non-emergency St John ambulance private hire trips is hitting the South especially hard because of vast distances to main hospitals, Aged Care Association Otago Southland board member Malcolm Hendry says.
Everything rosy in the garden
Everything rosy in the garden
Dyslexia meant Karen Scott ''struggled'' at school, but the horticulture graduate has now mastered some Latin as part of the theory component of her intensive three-year apprenticeship.
Pressure sends cancer patients south
Pressure sends cancer patients south
South Canterbury cancer patients are being sent to Dunedin for treatment because of pressure on the Christchurch radiation service.
Extra 88 operations
Extra 88 operations
The surprise $10 million boost for elective surgery nationwide announced this week will pay for 88 extra operations in Otago and Southland.
Tumour standards offer level of care check
Tumour standards offer level of care check
New tumour treatment standards let patients check whether their care matches the timeline set for New Zealand public hospitals, Southern Cancer Network director Dr Shaun Costello says.
Doctor ends family's association with Dunedin
Doctor ends family's association with Dunedin
His friendships with patients will be missed by long-serving Dunedin GP Dr Peter Borrie when he retires from general practice today.
Extra $10m for elective surgery 'evidence'
Extra $10m for elective surgery 'evidence'
A cash top-up for elective surgery for the rest of the financial year is evidence the Government has been embarrassed by the issue, Labour health spokeswoman Annette King says.
South's alcohol statistics worst
South's alcohol statistics worst
Public Health South's 2013 alcohol report paints an alarming picture of hazardous drinking in the South, prompting a call for tougher regulations over the sale and distribution of alcohol. Health reporter Eileen Goodwin talks to the people at the front line, in our Booze Control: Stop and Think series.
Changes unsettling for families
Changes unsettling for families
Changes in the Otago mental health service are causing apprehension among families of those with mental illness, Supporting Families Otago chairman Richard Linscott says.
Mental health care defended
Mental health care defended
Mental health care provider Pact has taken issue with what it deems a ''negative'' portrayal of community-based care in the concerns raised over cutting bed numbers at Wakari Hospital.
Contrary views on mental health cuts
Contrary views on mental health cuts
Some long-term Wakari Hospital mental health inpatients face an uncertain future in the community, which does not appear equipped to care for them if they are discharged in the coming months, Dunedin North MP David Clark says.
Cost barrier to establishing DNA database
Cost barrier to establishing DNA database
The main ethical hurdle to establishing a universal forensic DNA database is cost, not civil liberties, Canterbury University ethicist Dr Carolyn Mason says.
Drug advertising claim provokes retort
Drug advertising claim provokes retort
A claim that direct-to-consumer drug advertising is a constitutional right drew a fiery response from two GPs at the New Zealand Bioethics Conference in Dunedin yesterday.
Book to highlight specialness
Book to highlight specialness
A planned coffee-table book featuring children with rare disorders will accentuate the positive aspects of their lives, Dunedin parents of participating children say.