The Timaru Herald has run an article on the website offtheradar.co.nz, who are calling for the removal of Gardasil from the vaccination regime because it causes 16 times more serious adverse events than it prevents cervical cancer fatalities. Like most of the websites “crusading” against vaccines, it destroys its own credibility by drawing non-scientific conclusions [...]

The Dominion Post writes yesterday about the looming shortage of oncologists. Four cancer doctors have resigned in a very short space of time. The article explores all the usual reasons why doctors leave, particularly the worrying ones of overwork,  which can only be fixed by employing more hard-to-get doctors. What struck me, though, was the [...]

Continuing on from yesterday’s post on PHO finances, I see that the Herald is running a follow up article suggesting that the wasted money in health is the “tip of the iceberg”. Maybe. But I suspect global health warming is melting it away.
There is no doubt that there is excessive bureaucracy in the PHOs. Some [...]

In the game of Laboratory Test Chicken that has been going on recently, the Auckland DHBs have just folded their hand (to mix a metaphor) and are now the clear losers. All the “savings” promised by this move are now totally lost. Labtests have been pushed into providing a much more comprehensive service than they [...]

I see Labour is bellyaching about the proposed new National Health Board again.
Labour’s health spokeswoman, Ruth Dyson, said Mr Ryall had already make up his mind about the future direction of health services.
“This is more about Mr Ryall trying to impose his own vision for health than about a genuine attempt to make the current [...]

Health is one of the biggest concerns of voters. National seem to understand this, and have paid particular attention to the health budget. However, Labour appear to have no understanding of the health budget as this article illustrates.
Labour Mangere MP Su’a William Sio has tabled in Parliament an Official Information Act response showing that Ms [...]

Ian Powell, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, is complaining that Tony Ryall has a privatisation agenda because he has removed the requirements of DHBs to use public services unless the private service is superior and he has also removed the need to consult frontline personnel.
Firstly, let me say that the headline “Doctors [...]

For the second time this week MacDoctor disappeared from the blogosphere. This time I collapsed while at work on Saturday morning after an episode of severe vertigo and was carted off to hospital for the night. Do not panic. I am feeling fine and still hope to be here for many years delivering your MacDoctor [...]

Remember how National promised to tackle the waiting list problem? Tony Ryall reports today that there have been 12,265 more elective procedures in the past year than the previous year. Apparently that is over 2,000 extra procedures more than in 8 years of the previous Labour government. It is amazing what a little re-prioritisation can [...]

Spam Journalism: The spurious use of sensational headlines to add spice to an otherwise pointless article.
The question that puzzles me is why newspapers insist on printing everything directly from Labour party press releases? Do they have some sort of financial agreement with Labour? “Owen Glenn will pay you half a million a year if you [...]