Dunedin Hospital's out-moded neonatal intensive care unit and its acute mental health ward will be transformed through a funding injection of $24.4 million announced by Health Minister Tony Ryall in Dunedin yesterday.
The need to retain neurosurgery services at Dunedin Hospital was raised several times with Health Minister Tony Ryall on his tour of the hospital this week, but he says he does not have a preferred option.
Dunedin Hospital is to get a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) as part of a $23.4 million development of the Southern DHB's Dunedin facilities.
The Southern Health Board expects to spend $705,935 next financial year on B4 school checks for 3050 children.
A slight drop in the percentage of Otago patients receiving radiotherapy treatment for cancer within six weeks of their first specialist appointment has been due to the southern service carrying out work for other areas.
A bowel cancer screening pilot costing $24 million over the next four years will be funded in the May 20 budget, Health Minister Tony Ryall said today.
Health Minister Tony Ryall today opened Wellington Hospital's new high dose bracytherapy bunker for cancer treatment.
District health boards have received record levels of funding this year and will get even more next year, Health Minister Tony Ryall said today after Labour accused him of misleading the public over cuts to patient services.
West Coast District Health Board (WCDHB) is to receive its biggest ever government bail out of $6 million.
Haggling over the first joint Otago and Southland district health boards' annual plan has begun, with the Ministry of Health questioning the level of deficit proposed for next year.
District health boards under pressure to fund wage increases in the community health sector cannot expect any specific money for this from the Government.
Strike action by medical radiation technologists is escalating because pay talks have broken down and District Health Boards New Zealand will not come back to the bargaining table, says union delegate Bernadette Gourley.
Health Minister Tony Ryall accepts that delaying cuts to housework help to some elderly people in Otago and Southland will mean the district health boards will take longer to balance their books.
The Southland District Health Board will today be asked to support the proposed pilot scheme which would give some public-hospital cancer patients the option of paying for extra drugs.
The Government has added South Canterbury and surgical nursing to a list of regions and specialities open to health graduates under its voluntary bonding scheme.
Last-minute moves by the Otago District Health Board yesterday failed to placate Southland senior doctors critical of the proposed merger between the southern district health boards.
Health Minister Tony Ryall says he has made it "very clear" to the Otago District Health Board that he expects an improvement in its financial management in the next month.
Otago District Health Board chairman Errol Millar says he can understand Health Minister Tony Ryall's reluctance to fund Dunedin Hospital upgrading when the board cannot meet its budget promises.
Minister of Health Tony Ryall will talk to his Australian counterpart, Nicola Roxon, about her Government's plans to make it easier for New Zealand doctors to work wherever they like in her country.
If one district health board is proposed for Otago and Southland next year, Otago's Errol Millar will not say no if offered the chairman's job.
