Stories by Rowan Quinn
News
'The current situation is cruel': NZ's poor level of access to cancer drugs
More than 1000 New Zealand cancer patients a year are missing out on gold-standard cancer drugs readily available in Australia. Audio
Auckland DHB still delaying elective surgery after Omicron peak
A month after the peak of Auckland's Omicron outbreak, senior doctors say adrenaline is giving way to trepidation as they call for an urgent return to business as usual.
Bloomfield's resignation: 'He felt the pain, he felt the pressure along with the rest of us'
Health workers are describing the departing Director-General of Health as having been vital in getting the country through the pandemic. Audio
Auckland DHB workers at critical risk from fatigue - report
A report to board members said fatigue management had previously been classed as "high" risk but had been temporarily elevated to "critical" to allow for the impact of the Omicron surge.
Power outage hits Auckland City Hospital
A patient told RNZ the lights in the emergency department were out for 15 to 20 minutes.
'It really is everywhere': Omicron infection rate high in Canterbury
Canterbury is now the country's Covid-19 hotspot, with the highest rates of new infections.
Christchurch Hospital coping as region's infections outstrip Auckland
Canterbury has almost three times the rate of new Covid-19 infections as Auckland, as the outbreak shifts south.
Non-clinical staff step up as Wellington Hospital faces shortages
Wellington Hospital bosses and non-clinical staff have been pitching in to help as staffing shortages hit.
Omicron: DHBs around New Zealand grapple with health staff shortages
Nurses are the hardest hit health workers at Canterbury DHB but medical technicians, physiotherapists and lab workers are not far behind. Audio
Auckland, rest of New Zealand warned Omicron cases could still rise
The Omicron outbreak is like a Mexican wave moving away from Auckland through the rest of the country, a leading rural GP says.
Short of breath, in pain, vomiting blood: What it was like getting Covid-19
Nearly half a million New Zealanders have now officially had Covid-19. Health correspondent Rowan Quinn talks to a pregnant nurse, a parent and an immunocompromised student about their experiences.
Omicron outbreak: A quarter of Auckland hospital staff away on some days
After weeks of stories of stresses from the shop floor because of doctor and nurse shortages, the true extent has been revealed.
Expert emphasises Covid-19 vaccine booster is essential, not extra
The Covid-19 vaccine booster needs a rebrand because it sounds like it is an "optional extra", says a public health expert, as worry rises about stalling rates.
Nearly 50% of children presenting at Middlemore emergency department have Covid
Auckland hospitals are dealing with far more Covid patients than they predicted in even their worst case scenarios.
Doctors filling in as Middlemore hit with staff shortages
Doctors are stepping in to cover some nursing duties as staff absences reach a critical point at Middlemore Hospital.
Emergency doctor says staff shortages 'incredibly significant' amid spiralling outbreak
There are hundreds of frontline staff off across the city's hospitals, and emergency departments in Auckland have been swamped with cases on some days.
Surgery centre cuts services, diverts staff to Middlemore amid Omicron woes
One half of a large elective surgery centre has been temporarily closed so staff can be diverted help Middlemore Hospital.
Covid-19 hospitalisations to hit 800 in under a week at current rate
Data modeller Michael Plank says hospital numbers are doubling roughly every five days and if that continues, the number of people in hospital on 6 March could be close to 800. Audio
More than 13 percent of Counties Manukau DHB staff off work due to Covid-19
More than 440 of the Counties Manukau DHB staff not at work because of Covid-19 are frontline rostered staff.
'I don't know how long I can do this': Auckland medics under pressure in Omicron outbreak
Frontline health workers are feeling the pressure as the Omicron outbreak rapidly escalates in Auckland.
Auckland Hospital nurses working extra to provide safe level of care
An Auckland Hospital nurse says his colleagues are working extra shifts or doing different jobs as Covid-19 takes a toll on staffing and case numbers rise.
Hundreds to miss out on procedures as two hospitals cut back on services
The decision was made at a high-level meeting yesterday, with the situation expected to continue for four weeks at two Auckland hospitals. Audio
'Zero privacy' for ED patients waiting in corridors due to health system capacity
Emergency department corridor waits were supposed to be abolished years ago but doctors say the problem is hitting crisis levels again because hospitals are so clogged.
NZ nurses overworked and exhausted - report
A major independent report has found nurses are overworked and exhausted because of consistent understaffing and that patients are not always getting full care.
Omicron phase two: Covid-19 cases will soon be doing their own contact tracing
People with Covid-19 are set to become their own contact tracers, and some details of an online system due to go live soon have been revealed.