Ruth Hill

Heart disease is costing the country nearly $14 billion a year in direct costs to the health system and early deaths of one in five New Zealanders. That was the stark analysis from Otago University… Audio

A legal expert says it's still a criminal offence to advertise unapproved medicines in New Zealand - despite a government announcement that it has lifted the ban. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

36,000 nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants are on strike for 24 hours over what they say is Health NZ's refusal to staff hospitals at safe levels. One emergency department nurse described the… Audio

Thirty-six thousand workers from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation are walking off the job on Wednesday, after talks with Health NZ broke down this week. RNZ health correspondent Ruth Hill spoke to… Audio

Nearly 4,500 patients are having procedures or specialist appointments postponed due to the nationwide strike by nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants, which kicks off at 9am on Wednesday morning… Audio

Thirty health workers - including specialists, GPs and nurses - have signed an open letter to MPs asking them to waive their right to private healthcare during their time in office. Ruth Hill reports.

A highly successful programme with the potential to help thousands of orthopaedic patients waiting in pain for specialist appointments is being stymied by lack of funding. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

Doctors warn ad hoc sharing of patient information between public and private hospitals is putting patients at risk, with the government push to outsource thousands more operations. Ruth Hill reports.

A growing number of families living in communities most vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks are refusing to have their children vaccinated. Ruth Hill reporting. Audio

Health experts claim the ACT Party's red tape-busting Regulatory Standards Bill threatens to harm patients by undermining the public health system. Ruth Hill explains. Audio

A leaked memo shows Wellington Hospital is cutting beds from its gynaecology and maternity wards in a trial aimed at making room for patients from the over-crowded Emergency Department. Ruth Hill… Audio

Doctors in Northland are blaming a massive increase in wait times for colonoscopies in the last six months on Health NZ's decision to cut pay rates for locums. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

The parents of a transgender teenager who starved to death in a motel room believe the various agencies involved failed to monitor the real threat posed by the 17-year-old's long-standing eating… Audio

Hospices are saving the government millions of dollars a year - but they warn critical services are under threat, with nothing for palliative care providers in the Budget. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

ESR data shows flu and COVID infections are on the rise, with a sharp jump in hospitalisations for severe respiratory infections across Auckland in a week. As Ruth Hill reports, GPs warn they're… Audio

Strong winds tore the roof of a house in the Wellington suburb of Newlands on Wednesday night. Reporter Ruth Hill spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss. Audio

Families of dying children are crushed after yet another Budget has failed to deliver hoped-for funding for paediatric palliative care services. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

The Finance Minister Nicola Willis says one in five taxpayer dollars is now going into the health system, with record investment in frontline services. But a leading health policy expert says based on… Audio

A leading Northland cardiologist says his patients are much sicker than they would be if they lived in Auckland. Ruth Hill reports. Audio

Disappointed GPs say the lack of cash for them in the Budget may mean patient fees will have to rise, while the senior doctors union has dubbed it "the departure lounge budget". Ruth Hill reports. Audio