Mike Houlahan

Plea over mental health patients’ needs at ED

Plea over mental health patients’ needs at ED

The design of the emergency department in the new Dunedin Hospital must take into account the needs of those with mental health issues, the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine says.

Asbestos hinders ICU plan

Dunedin Hospital’s much-delayed intensive care unit project has suffered another setback which will result in the full facility not opening until next year.

Long journey to realise village health concept

The faces behind Te Kaika health hub in one of the facility’s new dental clinics, Te Kaika...

Long journey to realise village health concept

Te Kaika, a new health centre in Caversham, intends to be a poster child for the hub model of providing healthcare. Health reporter Mike Houlahan visits the facility, which opens on Wednesday.

Dementia causes require wide study, Dunedin clinic told

Brain Research New Zealand Dunedin Dementia Prevention Research Clinic director Nick Cutfield...

Dementia causes require wide study, Dunedin clinic told

The subjects in medical research projects do not often get a say, so Bill Thompson was not missing out when asked to speak at the opening of the Brain Research New Zealand Dunedin Dementia Prevention Research Clinic.

Prominent NZers once keen on eugenics

University of Otago academic Hamish Spencer with a copy of the new book he co-authored on the...

Prominent NZers once keen on eugenics

It is a long-discredited theory, but a new book sets out to demonstrate the influence eugenics had in shaping New Zealand society.

Suicide risk rating not perfect system

In total, children under the age of 18 spent more than 6200 days in adult inpatient units in that...

Suicide risk rating not perfect system

Risk assessments - recommended by the Ministry of Health for any patients who have deliberately harmed themselves - should not be relied upon to predict whether someone will attempt suicide, new...

Community garden raids subside

Green Island community garden co-ordinator Marion Thomas with a new sign to discourage theft from...

Community garden raids subside

They took the lettuces, then damaged the potatoes, but it was when the Green Island Community Garden’s carrots got cleaned out that Marion Thomas snapped.

Hospital site decision on track

Hospital site decision on track

The group driving the rebuilding of Dunedin Hospital remains on track to advise Health Minister David Clark of its preferred site by the end of next month.

Couple asked if they would have children

Couple asked if they would have children

A Dunedin couple were quizzed about whether they intended to have children as part of an Immigration New Zealand interview about the status of their relationship, newly released documents show.

Arthrem poses risk to liver - Medsafe

Arthrem, a joint health supplement, poses a risk to the liver, the Ministry of Health is warning, and some people taking it have ended up in hospital.

New SDHB strategy for waiting list

New SDHB strategy for urology waiting list

The Southern District Health Board has introduced new "one-stop shop" urology clinics to attempt to consolidate gains made by its "super clinics" held last year.

Awareness seen as key to mental health tool’s success

Public awareness will be key to the success of a new online mental health tool, a health sector leader says.

Patients angry ketamine trial to end

Ketamine patient John Cosgrove pleads for Southern DHB to continue its ketamine trial. Photo:...

Patients angry ketamine treatment trial to end

Patients enrolled in a soon-to-be-scrapped SDHB ketamine trial have reacted angrily to the decision, saying they had no notice they would be expected to stop taking a drug they call their last hope.

New hospital likely to be of similar size

The new Dunedin Hospital is likely to be a similar size to the current building, SDHB Commissioner Richard Thomson says.

Plan ‘too important not to do it’

The Southern District Health Board cannot afford not to implement its draft primary and community care plan, chief executive Chris Fleming says.

Hospital ED again stretched

Dunedin Hospital’s emergency department is once more being stretched to its limits and many patients are waiting on beds in corridors to be seen by medical staff.

Crowds turn out for Chinese New Year celebrations

Crowds have flocked to Chinese New Year celebrations in Dunedin this evening.

Portals need more study, writer says

Further studies are needed before New Zealand proceeds down the path of all patients accessing their medical information electronically, one of the Ministry of Health’s "eHealth ambassadors" says.

Time to talk about ovarian cancer

Anna Townsend urges women to learn the warning signs of ovarian cancer. Photo: Linda Robertson

Time to talk about ovarian cancer

An organ the size of an almond left Dunedin woman Anna Townsend with a 2kg problem which, if untreated, could have killed her.

SDHB drops ketamine research

SDHB drops ketamine research

The Southern District Health Board has abandoned its support for trials of the drug ketamine as a treatment for depression.

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Mike Houlahan