Stories by Ruth Hill
News
Should GPs be allowed to prescribe ADHD medication?
Freeing up access for meds must be balanced with preventing drugs ending up on the black market, psychiatrists warn.
Heath funding fails to keep up with inflation or demand - doctors' union
Some experts argue it's time to consider alternatives ways to pay for healthcare which could take politics out of it.
Fast-track bill: Chief Ombudsman calls for accountability by law
Democracy will be the "loser" if sweeping executive powers are granted to ministers under the new bill, the Chief Ombudsman warns.
Woman with skin reaction to medication nearly dies waiting to see dermatologist
She waited weeks to see a dermatologist in the public system.
23-year-old spends month in hospital after 'one in a million' reaction
Charlotte Gilmour suffered an extremely rare, near-fatal allergic reaction to a medicine and didn't know if she would ever recover.
How NZ's cancer survival rates compare with Australia
Auckland University cancer epidemiologist Professor Mark Elwood says cancer death rates in both countries have gone down, but the differences have persisted.
Pharmac funding will not stretch to new medicines - chief executive
A multi-million dollar budget boost for Pharmac will only keep the lights on, doctors and patient advocates warn.
After-hours clinics on verge of collapse in some regions
Overworked GPs have signalled they can no longer cover, while funding is falling short. Audio
Criticism of puberty blockers misguided, trans girl's mother says
The mother of a transgender teenager says having her child come out at the age of eight let her and her family take "a deep collective breath".
Services struggle amid dermatologist shortage
People suffering debilitating and potentially life-threatening skin conditions are not getting the treatment they need in many regions due to the dire shortage of dermatologists.
Ministry of Health 'taking the time to get it right' on puberty blockers
The hormone drugs are under increasing scrutiny internationally, with Britain's National Health Service last month banning their routine use outside of clinical trials.
MBIE doubles job cuts, Culture and Heritage announces jobs to go
Up to 286 staff will now be dropped at MBIE, while the culture ministry has also announced cuts.
As Britain bans routine use of puberty blockers, will NZ follow suit?
Puberty blockers, often given to young transgender people, are being restricted overseas due to issues around effectiveness and safety.
8000 health workers kept working despite not being fully vaccinated
The staff, including hundreds of doctors, were allowed to work through the pandemic because services could not function without them.
Government delayed vape rules to suit retailers, campaigners say
Campaigners against youth vaping say the government is delaying child-safety measures to give the industry time to sell non-compliant products.
'Our hearts are shattered': Baby Ru's whānau haven't heard from police in months
Five months on from the boy's death, no one has been charged and his family says the police updates have stopped coming.
Mental health: When a pamphlet or helpline is not enough
"Not sick enough to get help" - That's the message many people struggling with debilitating depression and other mental problems are getting from the health system.
Survivors doubt mental health system can step up
People who have suffered acute mental breakdowns fear the health system will not be ready to fill the gap when police withdraw from crisis callouts.
Funding continues for children with cancer, but others left out
Pharmac announced it will continue blanket funding for all child cancer medicines but will not extend the funding to other medicines for children.
Too sick to enrol? Woman struggles to find GP
A chronically-ill woman suspects some doctors are reluctant to enrol her, as new research shows some clinics to cherry-pick healthy patients.
How GP clinics are picking and choosing patients
About half of all clinics are "cream-skimming" patients to enrol, new research has found.
Woman who miscarried not warned baby would be born alive
Maya says she has been left traumatised by the indifferent care she received: "They treated me like I wasn't worth their time because my baby was going to die."
Cancer patients left waiting for months for bone marrow transplants
Cancer patients who should have bone marrow transplants within four weeks are waiting for four months - or longer - because services are overloaded.
'Sorely understaffed' south's cancer patients still waiting too long
The Health and Disability Commissioner says until oncology workforces are brought up to a viable level there's no guarantee patients will be treated within "appropriate timeframes".
St John pulls ambulances off road to rein in costs
The ambulance workers' union says it's "unacceptable" cost-cutting is putting lives at risk.