Tony Ryall

The honeymoon appears well and truly over between the senior doctors' union and Health Minister Tony Ryall.

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.

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.

An allegation of "unhelpful behind-the-scenes involvement" by Health Minister Tony Ryall in the long-running senior doctors' pay talks has been made by the doctors' union.

National is promising free after-hours medical care for children aged under six.

The National Health Board (NHB) expects its recommendations for Dunedin Hospital will save money, but has not yet provided any estimates to back this up.

Health Minister Tony Ryall sees no need for "great urgency" for a review of how health information is handled.

Minister of Health Tony Ryall has asked for help from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons - meeting in Queenstown this week - in increasing the emphasis on general scopes of practice.

A new $12 million fund will be used over the next four years to trial health innovations and new technologies, Health Minister Tony Ryall says.