fcassie@nzdoctor.co.nz

People with “a bit of a runny nose” or sore throat should stay home from work or school, Ministry of Health director-general Ashley Bloomfield emphasised today as he stepped up social distancing advice in response to Covid-19.

At any one time, about 10,000 people reside in prisons in New Zealand, says Corrections’ clinical director for the southern region, Jill Thomson

Online GP service SwiftMed is in hiatus, according to a message on its website turning away patients but inviting interested medical practitioners to get in touch

Many southern practices have shown Care Plus the door and replaced it with a programme that more closely matches patient need

Southern GPs can refer patients for free colonoscopies thanks to a new charitable service, but Southern DHB is keen to rebuild GP confidence in its own referral process

A new $70 million private surgical facility is planned for Hastings to boost the availability of elective surgery in the Hawke’s Bay region

Angela Francis is leaving Nelson Bays Primary Health PHO and looking back on achievements that include extra support for vulnerable people and a financial turnaround for a troubled health centre

A Christchurch practice is looking forward to hosting its first registrar after moving into a new building and piloting part of the new Cornerstone accreditation programme.

Requests to tour Wellington’s newly opened Ropata Health, the country’s most sophisticated quake-proof medical centre, are proving popular