Health

The health of patients who take part in treatment trials may be put in danger by Government changes to ethics committees, a group of academics says.

Dunedin Hospital's emergency department had a particularly busy December but still performed reasonably well in keeping waiting times in check, Otago chief operating officer Vivian Blake told the hospital's advisory committee in Dunedin this week.

Imagine being 5 years old, hearing the sound of an oncoming truck, and not knowing from which direction it was coming.

Nutritionists have labelled the increasing size of slices and cakes sold in cafes as frustrating and a "big problem", but one Dunedin establishment has a satisfying answer.

People who may have forgotten they gave consent for their newborn baby's blood spots to be used in research after screening for metabolic disorders will not be contacted to see if they are still happy with that decision.

Concerns have been raised in an independent report, and by experts and providers, about the sustainability of a national breast-screening service. Elspeth McLean reports.

New breast-screening television commercials to air next month will be aimed at Maori and Pacific women.

Poor leadership and a "watered-down" monitoring process are undermining New Zealand's breast screening programme, University of Otago associate Prof Brian Cox says.

Health and Disability Commissioner Anthony Hill responds to Stuart McLennan's opinion article on Wednesday about the importance of the commissioner's independence.

A scholarship for an Otago healthcare practitioner keen to undertake research in complementary and alternative medicine is being offered by Integrative Health Trust Otago.