Karen Brown

A report out today says New Zealanders don't know enough about the country's biggest cancer killer -- lung cancer. Audio

Food manufacturers are urging MPs to wait and see what happens in Australia before agreeing to plain packaging of cigarettes and tobacco. Audio

From July hospitals will be evaluated according to what patients think of their treatment. Audio

Budget 2014 - Finance Minister Bill English delivered his sixth budget on Thursday, and one with a long awaited but slim surplus. How has the budget played out across the various areas? Audio

One of the big surprises in yesterday's budget was the announcement that the government will start picking up the tab for doctors' visits and prescriptions for children under 13. Audio

More details on the budget our specialist correspondents in health, education, and economics are with us. Audio

Susie Ferguson presents coverage of the 2014 Budget, plus expert analysis and commentary from Radio New Zealand's political editor Brent Edwards, economics correspondent Patrick O'Meara, business… Audio

Radio New Zealand's health correspondent, Karen Brown, looks at health needs across the economic divide. Audio

A new approach to managing diabetes has helped some of the most needy patients return to almost normal blood sugar levels. Audio

Ongoing tight financial management is expected to be needed at several district health boards whose populations have decreased. Audio

Nurses say they're willing to be trained to carry out some of the colonoscopy procedures needed to screen people for bowel cancer. Audio

The Health Ministry has spent 32 million dollars of an antiviral drug that researchers say is far less effective than its maker claimed, and won't be put off buying more. Audio

Hospital doctors can now access the health records held by family doctors for more than 200 thousand people in the Wellington region. Audio

Pharmac is setting up a five-million-dollar contestable fund in a bid to lower the prices of high-cost medicines needed by small numbers of patients. Audio

Senior officials say foreign-trained doctors struggling to find jobs in this country are caught in a perfect storm. Audio

Foreign-trained doctors are being shut out of practising medicine in New Zealand by being dropped down the priority list for jobs. Audio

A dentist faces possible legal action for failing to tell a teenager that a piece of equipment had broken off and was stuck in his tooth. Audio

The Government is under attack over belt-tightening in health following revelations of a budget blowout at one of the largest health boards Audio

One of the country's largest district health boards has told staff its current financial situation is unsustainable. Audio

Health experts say technology being trialled in Auckland will reduce harm and inconvenience for patients by preventing medication errors. Audio