An ICU doctor on how we can emerge from the storm into a place to mend

Dr Alex Kazemi, an ICU specialist, writes here in his personal capacity on the opportunity Covid-19 provides to rebuild our healthcare system. The tooth fairy never showed. My daughter had written a note – “You are invited to a tea party on Saturday at 10.30. If you cannot come please leave this note behind” – … Read more

The Bulletin: UN Migration Pact wounds still fester

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Wounds caused by UN Migration Pact drama still fester, Middlemore sources concerned deadly flu cases contracted in hospital, and rat populations ballooning.  It started off as little more than an obscure, non-binding agreement for the United Nations to mull over. It became a rallying call for … Read more

Flu season is worrying hospital staff and you should be worried, too

Sources at Middlemore Hospital have expressed concern that two patients may have died after catching the flu when being admitted.  As flu season applies pressure to hospital resources around the country, there are concerns two patients may have died after catching influenza at Middlemore Hospital, according to two sources spoken to by the Spinoff. When … Read more

The Bulletin: Everyone wants a Kiwibuild house

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Huge interest in Kiwibuild houses as registrations open, Fonterra and Greenpeace find themselves on the same side of a dairy issue, and GCSB report comes out. Registrations of interest for the Kiwibuild ballot has boomed, after it was opened yesterday morning. As of the last figures being … Read more

Government’s health budget must look to the future of care

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

The Bulletin: Shane Jones hungry for more ministerial power

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Shane Jones wants more power over public servants, NZ banks insist they’re not dodgy, and a former Counties DHB member hits back. Shane Jones wants ministers to have more control over the public sector, including being able to appoint enforcers in top roles, reports Stuff. The regional development minister … Read more

Beyond the toxic mould: how we can get our DHBs back

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

The Bulletin: More money for those with less

Good morning, and welcome back to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: The minimum wage has gone up, a rāhui on the Waitakere ranges is being violated, and New Zealand’s future food security is in focus.  More money for those with less from this weekend, with the minimum wage rising, and the accommodation supplement being boosted. The minimum … Read more

The toxic mould and rot of Middlemore is the legacy of a crisis in values

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

Revealed: what Jonathan Coleman was thinking this morning

An exclusive glimpse into the steel trap psyche of the former health minister and political colossus as he makes for the exit. Thanks to the miracle of modern medicine, SpinoffAnalytica Labs has accessed the internal monologue direct from Jonathan Coleman’s brain. After sending the neuro-data to a Super Computer AI in Christchurch via email, we … Read more

The Bulletin: Doctor leaves the House

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Former health minister Jonathan Coleman quits politics, a hospital is riddled with rot and mould, and letting fees could be banned.  National’s Northcote MP and Health spokesman Jonathan Coleman is leaving politics. He’s off to be the CEO of Acurity Health Group, an owner and operator of private … Read more