Pandemic not the only challenge
Last year, Finance Minister Grant Robertson unveiled a Budget like no other as New Zealand tried to tackle the economic shock of a global pandemic. Twelve months on, the 2021 Budget, too, will be...
Mike Houlahan
Patient’s long wait exemplifies SDHB issues
Patient’s long wait exemplifies SDHB issues
An Otago man who says he waited almost a year for a diagnostic scan for suspected prostate cancer says improvements to the southern cancer treatment system cannot come fast enough.
Outsourcing underscores SDHB failure: academic
Outsourcing underscores SDHB failure: academic
The Southern District Health Board’s bid to outsource up to 200 cancer treatments suggests "an abject failure" of management, an Otago health academic says.
Patients lie down for a cause
Patients lie down for a cause
Dunedin patients standing up for greater access to medicinal drugs lay down in the central city to make their point.
Southern vaccination rates ahead of ministry’s schedule
Southern vaccination rates ahead of ministry’s schedule
The Southern region is once more in the vanguard of the march to vaccinate New Zealanders against Covid-19.
Hospital consent documents months away
Hospital consent documents months away
Consent documents for the application to fast track the building of the new Dunedin hospital are still months away from being lodged.
SDHB to outsource cancer treatment
SDHB to outsource cancer treatment
Mountainous cancer treatment waiting lists have defeated the Southern District Health Board, which yesterday called for outside help to treat up to 200 people.
SDHB puts call out for help with cancer treatment
SDHB puts call out for help with cancer treatment
The Southern District Health Board has surrendered to the pressure of record cancer treatment waiting lists and called on other medical providers for help.
Posthumous album Black’s parting gift
Posthumous album Black’s parting gift
A conversation between the late Malcolm Black and his family is now available for all the world to hear.
Creating portraits in stitches
Creating portraits in stitches
Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield brought a little star power to the Otago Embroiderers Guild open day on Saturday.
Plaque for prolific Mills and Boon writer Essie Summers unveiled
Plaque for prolific Mills and Boon writer Essie Summers unveiled
True love never dies and truly great romance writers are never forgotten either.
Criminality rich literary NZ narrative
Criminality rich literary NZ narrative
Killers, gang lords and drug barons were centre stage at the Dunedin Writers and Readers festival on Saturday, as two of New Zealand’s leading crime writers were grilled about their work.
Southern Say: Thorny debate keeps Dean’s hands full
Southern Say: Thorny debate keeps Dean’s hands full
Speaker Trevor Mallard has instituted a new policy in recent weeks, where each day one of his assistant Speakers reads the prayer which starts the proceedings of Parliament.
SDHB to review its letter-writing system
SDHB to review its letter-writing system
The Southern District Health Board, which mails about 1800 letters a day to patients, is considering ways to improve their content.
Health minister needs to help with cancer waiting lists: Melissa Vining
Health minister needs to help with cancer waiting lists: Melissa Vining
Southern cancer patients are dying and Health Minister Andrew Little needs to step in and save them, patient advocate Melissa Vining says.
Jobs safe at Hillside Workshops
Jobs safe at Hillside Workshops
One hundred jobs are to be maintained in Dunedin after the Government's endorsement of the revamp and expansion of the KiwiRail Hillside Workshops.
Despair in radiation oncology
Despair in radiation oncology
Southern radiation oncologists are despondent knowing their patients might have better outcomes if they had fallen sick with cancer elsewhere in New Zealand.
Bed block deadline about to expire without solution
Bed block deadline about to expire without solution
The hundred days target the Southern District Health Board set itself to address its issues with bed block is about to pass without them being solved.
Treatment ‘absolute disaster’
Treatment ‘absolute disaster’
Two years ago, after his first throat cancer diagnosis, Steve Carr had nothing but praise for his treatment through the Southern District Health Board.
Vaccination in South needs scaling up significantly
Vaccination in South needs scaling up significantly
The Southern Covid-19 vaccination rollout needs to be "put on steroids" to meet the Ministry of Health target of a fivefold increase in injections.