Stories by Ruth Hill

Hato Hone St John has said it will respond to life-threatening emergencies during the 24-hour industrial action, and people should continue to call 111. Audio

This afternoon the Whangārei Hospital's ED was at 156 percent capacity.

A slash in locum rates is to blame and it's not a "sudden crisis", angry doctors have told RNZ. Audio

Lester Levy insists he knew nothing about an internal staff presentation detailing potential widescale cuts to save money.

The Health New Zealand report also shows the bill to fix failing pipes, ancient wiring and other problems at ageing public hospitals is likely to be hundreds of millions of dollars. Audio

One experienced nurse has told RNZ recent demand has "brought staff to their knees".

A specialist locum who has been working in the Far North for nearly a decade had his clinic cancelled by Health New Zealand with no warning - and no plan to support his 100 patients.

A leading surgeon is calling on politicians to stop using the health system for "point-scoring" and work together to treat health inequities in rural regions.

Doctors say their rural patients die from preventable causes more often, just because of where they live. Audio

A Northland-based oncologist says their team lost out on a desperately needed new doctor because managers would not sign off on the recruitment.

The dean of Auckland's Medical School says both Otago and Auckland are "ready to step up" if the government will fund extra places.

Health workers have told RNZ the cuts are already hurting patients and will cost the health system more in the long-run. Audio

The Waikato woman with stage 3 bowel cancer estimates the $20,000 she spent on private diagnosis and treatment saved her seven months in delays. Audio

Desperately worried doctors fear people are dying as a direct result of critical workforce shortages. Audio

Emergency doctors from Rotorua Hospital dispute management's claim that "additional staff" are being recruited, saying advertised positions are just to replace those leaving.

Losing its accreditation could be disastrous for the whole hospital, a doctors' union says.

Staff shortages at Rotorua Hospital are so dire that patients are being sent backwards, a union says.

Doctors at Rotorua Hospital's emergency department have lost faith that management will deal with critical staff shortages, which they say are putting community safety at risk.

"From what I've read so far, the Appeal Court seems to think their primary job is to protect the Crown case," Tamihere told RNZ.

More cancer patients are waiting too long for potentially life-saving radiation treatment.

Six percent of NZ's population suffers from the chronic inflammatory skin condition - one of the highest rates in the world.

A clinic with 9000 people on its books will now only see patients in person in urgent cases. Audio

Engineers are today probing the stricken ferry, as the government weighs up the costs of replacing the country's ageing interisland ferry fleet.

The Pharmacy Guild is calling on the government to urgently fix what it calls a "flawed funding model".

Hundreds of pieces of evidence point to Scott Watson as the murderer of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope, the Court of Appeal has been told.