Voting is under way in the New Zealand general election. Explore the main parties’ pledges at Policy.nz, but here’s a whistle-stop tour of what’s on offer in the world of health. Read more two-minute policy wraps here Over 2020, the New Zealand public has learned what “PPE” means; the director general of health became a revered … Read more
Having surgery was the best thing I ever did. Everybody deserves the option. I am 10 days post-surgery. Everyone seems surprised at how well I’m doing. There’s just one group who get it, who understand why I’m so happy. They’re those who haven’t yet been able to get the surgery that I’ve had. Last Monday, … Read more
We already know how to solve our elective surgery crisis, says New Zealand Orthopaedic Association president Peter Robertson. We just need to take action. New Zealand is facing an elective surgery crisis – this isn’t news. The situation has been worsening for years and over successive governments. Now and again some money is lobbed in, … Read more
The Health and Disability System Review released this week nearly gets it right but it still sets us up to fail, writes consultant and health advocate Gabrielle Baker. If you like reading long reports about the health and disability system, Tuesday was your day. The long-awaited, highly-anticipated, Health and Disability System Review was finally released … Read more
In alert level two, a slew of hospital and GP services become available again. That presents a challenge to get back to normal, and ‘normal’ should not be what we are seeking in any case, write Richard Hamblin and Carl Shuker of the Health Quality & Safety Commission. Surgeries have been halted. Hip and knee … Read more
Following a roadside birth in an ambulance, the Southern DHB chief said it is ‘important for mothers and midwives to plan well ahead of their delivery’. Emily Writes wanted to find out more about how pregnancy works, so she asked a man who knows. Here at The Spinoff, we had our first piece on the wonderful … Read more
Dr David Galler offers seven lessons from past reviews of the NZ health system that should inform the thinking currently under way Reviews of New Zealand’s health services have almost invariably proven controversial, arousing particular opposition from groups with vested interests. And once complete, they seem to have achieved little more than a reshuffling of … Read more
We’re fighting a losing battle for patient safety, says this Auckland nurse – and it’s everyone’s problem. There’s been a lot of chin scratching by the political-pundit class in New Zealand about the nurses strike lately. Why, do they wonder, have nurses waited to take industrial action until a more labour-friendly government is in power? … Read more
The health sector needs significant investment, but where is that money going to come from? In our series analysing Budget 2018, Grant Thornton’s Pam Newlove says the government needs to look to the private sector. How revolutionary do voters want the new government to be? It’s a question that must be considered, as the government … Read more
Twenty thousand women experience a miscarriage every year in New Zealand, a country failing to provide adequate medical and emotional care, writes Kathryn Van Beek. Pregnancy loss and infertility counsellor Megan Downer is gearing up for Mother’s Day. The days before and after Sunday 13 May will be some of the busiest of her year. … Read more
One hundred and fifty Māori medical practitioners, doctors, nurses and medical graduates converged on Rotorua in April to discuss the Māori health Kaupapa Inquiry. Ātea’s rongoā expert Donna Kerridge made the case for Māori health framework before her peers. “Rongoā Māori is a threat to the medical economy because it is about sharing knowledge, not selling … Read more
District Health Boards were set up to do a lot more than direct funding and monitor wait times. It’s time we got back to DHBs’ original aspirations – for the good of New Zealand’s health, writes former DHB chair Peter Glensor. Over the past week, a sobering picture of a terrible maintenance backlog – toxic … Read more
I was embarrassed and outraged by the news about the state of the hospital where I work, writes Dr David Galler – for this systematic betrayal of the very people we are here to serve and of the staff that works so hard to help them. And it goes to the fundamental question about what … Read more
As part of our series on the midwifery crisis, The Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes asked midwives to share what’s gone wrong, and how they believe the crisis can be solved. It’s coming up to a year since I interviewed dozens of midwives about their experiences working in one of the toughest, most under-paid and … Read more
In part four of our series on the future of Māori health, former Ministry of Health advisor and policy analyst Gabrielle Baker looks at where social investment and health intersect and asks if we’re spending money on the right services. In previous weeks I’ve talked about equity, inequality and Māori involvement in decision making. These … Read more
What lies beyond the new Labour government’s ‘first 100 days’ for health policy and outcomes for Māori? In part two of our series on the future of Māori health, former Ministry of Health advisor and policy analyst Gabrielle Baker asks if ‘reducing inequality’ is aiming too low. Click here to read part one. The new … Read more
What lies beyond the new Labour government’s ‘first 100 days’ for health policy and outcomes for Māori? In a new series, former Ministry of Health advisor and policy analyst Gabrielle Baker asks Māori health professionals for their recommendations for a more equitable health system. It could just be me, but these first months of a … Read more