Podcasts about Health minister

Canada and its European NATO allies agree to a new defence spending target -- 5 per cent of GDP by 20-35. Donald Trump says he's confident the 12-day war between Iran and Israel is over. Israel's ceasefire with Iran holds, but war in Gaza rages on. British Columbia's Health Minister under pressure to fix a pediatric crisis at BC's biggest interior hospital. Wildfires force organizers to shorten the annual Yukon River Quest. 5,000 residents of Flin Flon, Manitoba returning home, after wildfires forced the city to evacuate.

Health Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill discusses the "extraordinary agreement" between HSE and trade unions regarding weekend working hours.

GPs are getting a big funding boost in a new agreement the government hopes will eventually lead to faster care. Health Minister Simeon Brown spoke to Corin Dann.

The Health Minister has directed Health New Zealand to give private hospitals 10-year contracts to perform elective surgeries. Patient Voice Aotearoa chairperson Malcolm Mulholland spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Health New Zealand has been directed to give private hospitals 10-year outsourcing contracts to perform elective surgeries. Health Minister Simeon Brown spoke to Corin Dann.

The Government is delivering an increased number of elective procedures to try to meet patient wait time targets. More than 84% of cancer patients are starting treatment within 31 days – 1% more than last year. Health Minister Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking they want that up to 90% by 2030, and are working to speed up treatments. He says they've swiftly outsourced nine thousand 500 electives to the private sector in an effort to get Health New Zealand moving faster. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simeon Brown took the words right out of my mouth. I was just saying this very morning, that people living with bone-on-bone pain don't really care where their hip replacement is done or whether their knee is replaced in a private hospital or a public one. And there in the statement released from the Health Minister's Office is Simeon saying patients don't care who's delivering their surgery – they care about getting their hip, knee and cataract operations done. I think it's a common sentiment. I think most of us would feel this way. News this morning that Health New Zealand has been directed to give private hospitals 10-year outsourcing contracts to perform elective surgeries should come as good news for those on the waiting list. As Simeon Brown was talking to Francesca Rudkin about the 10,000 elective surgeries that had been performed, mostly in private hospitals, he gave a hint that the arrangement with private hospitals was likely to be formalised. “This is something that needs to continue to happen so that we can continue to reduce the number of people waiting for those surgeries. The waitlist ballooned over the last six years, that's unacceptable for patients. I'm committed to continuing to use both the public and private system to make sure we reduce that waitlist and ensure patients get seen in a timely manner.” And now it has. Private hospital contracts have in the past tended to be rather short term, ad hoc arrangements designed to take the spill over from the public waiting list. But Health New Zealand has been negotiating 3-year agreements with private hospitals. And that will guarantee high volumes of low complexity patients. They don't want your tricky ones, they don't want your obese smokers, they just want the people who'll be able to come in, have a routine operation, and have the aftercare needed to provide good outcomes. Brown has now directed Health New Zealand to seek even longer-term arrangements, which he says will improve the cost effectiveness of delivery and provide clear investment signals to the private sector. So if the private sector is thinking, do we put up a private clinic in Tauranga that can do routine operations, do you know what? Damn it, we will, if there's a 10-year pipeline of work. Do we invest in the super duper state-of-the-art high tech medical equipment that would take the operating theatre to the next level? Damn it, we will, because we have that pipeline of work. That has to be good news for patients. The number of people waiting more than four months for elective surgery has grown from 1000 in 2017 to more than 28,000 and 2023. Now, I totally accept that waiting lists can be manipulated. You know, over the years, over the many, many years I've been doing a talkback, we've seen successive governments manipulate the waiting list. It looks a hell of a lot better when you just take people off it – you have to be referred by your GP and start the process all over again. That's one old trick. But we also take into account that Covid meant that a lot of elective surgeries couldn't be performed and that happened the Western world over. The Covid pandemic meant that elective surgeries were a luxury, and of course, it ballooned out. So this has to be good news. The fact that the private hospitals will now have a contract where they will be able to deliver these operations for less than they have been charging. The New Zealand Private Surgical Hospitals Association Representative hadn't heard about the 10 years, but said obviously with that certainty that length of agreement it was not unreasonable to expect such deals would provide certainty on costs, which is doctor speak for we'll sharpen our pencil and give you a good deal. However, there are concerns from the medical profession, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons says they were sold outsourcing as a short-term solution. But outsourcing is not a solution to an inadequately funded health system. They said that outsourcing elective surgery deprived surgical registrars of the training they needed, and that it was all so much more expensive. I don't see why the registrars can't pop across the road to Alleviate or Ascot and spend a day in the operating theatre in a private clinic. I mean, it's probably much more complex than that, but when they say surgical registrars won't get the training they need, whatever happened to work experience? Where you could go to a private hospital for a day or a week and help out there. I agree in an ideal world where you pay your taxes to contribute to the good of the community, an adequately funded public health system would be fantastic. Where in the world do you have one like that? Possibly the Nordic states do. But we're a long way from getting that and in the meantime, when you have people who do not have life threatening conditions but who have life diminishing conditions where they can't work, they can't enjoy life, they are living in constant pain, their quality of life is 0. They can't go outside the four walls of their own home. They're swallowing painkillers, which are ineffectual, but at least make them feel like something is happening. The difference between what is considered a relatively routine operation by the medical profession and not having that routine operation is life changing. You may not die from having bone-on-bone pain of your hip or your knee, but you feel like you want to. The difference will be huge for patients. For some of them they don't know how they can go on another hour, far less six months. I just I cannot see how it is a bad thing. Ideally, yes, we would have an adequately funded public health system, and it also might mean that you're not going to get your hip or your knee done privately. If you're a high needs patient, you're gonna have to wait on the public health waiting list – that should diminish given the number of elective surgeries that will be performed in the private sector. The only concern I see is that A) it's failing ideologically to have a publicly funded health system, but needs must. Why should people be collateral damage in a war of ideology? And B) the training for the doctors. But can't they do work experience over in the private sector? C) It's a win for patients, surely. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's confident it's getting on top of youth vaping, with more rules coming in today. New rules come in today including stricter advertising restrictions for vape retailers and a ban on disposable vapes. It's in an effort to clamp down on youth vaping, with around 10% of teenagers currently regular vapers. Associate Health Minister Casey Costello told Mike Hosking she believes we'll see further declines in youth vaping. She says Action for Smokefree data shows youth vaping rates have declined over the last three years. However, she says New Zealand isn't ready for a full crackdown, and Australia's prescription only approach won't work here. She says Pasifika and Māori continue to have the highest smoking rates, and reducing availability for those who aren't engaging with the health system is problematic. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Step into the intense and deeply human world of critical care with Dr. Vajrapu Rajendra, Head of Internal Medicine & Critical Care at Gleneagles Aware Hospitals. Recipient of the prestigious Vaidya Ratna Award (2019) by the Health Minister of Telangana, Dr. Rajendra shares practical insights into the ethical dilemmas families face in ICU settings. Known for his compassionate approach and clear communication, he offers a perspective that bridges medical precision with emotional understanding. For those seeking guidance or support, to connect with Dr. Rajendra, you can reach him anytime through TALHospitals.Tune into TALRadio English on Spotify, Apple Podcast for this insightful episode.Host : SuhasiniExpert : Dr. Vajrapu Rajendra, Head of Internal Medicine & Critical Care at Gleneagles Aware HospitalsYou Can Reach Dr.Vajrapu Rajendra @linkedin.com/in/rajendra-vajrapu-rajendra-07b99368#TALRadioEnglish #TALHospitals #CriticalCare #DrVajrapuRajendra #ICUEthics #FrontlineMedicine #CompassionateCare #HealthcareHeroes #EthicalDilemmas #LifeInICU #MedicalInsight #DoctorsDayHonoree #GleneaglesAwareHospitals #TouchALife #TALRadio

Health Minister Simeon Brown says the Government want patients to be able to see the clear benefits of health infrastructure investments. The Government has approved a suite of amendments to the Healthy Futures Act, put in place in 2022, that it hopes will strengthen the performance of Health New Zealand. Brown says these changes needed to be put in place to ensure the health system could be focused on delivering results over successive Governments. "We've got to focus on improving the timeliness of elective surgeries, specialist appointments and ensuring our young children are getting those immunisations. It's actually just about making sure that the system knows what the focuses should be focused on - and holding it accountable." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill joins Anton to discuss the report on waiting list irregularities and a toxic work culture by Children's Health Ireland (CHI), the governance relationship between the CHI and her department, the National Treatment Purchase Fund, and wider health system issues.

The publication of the HIQA review of emergency capacity in the Midwest has been pushed back to September. The Health Minister has confirmed this week that the health watchdog's report, which will examine the case for a new emergency department in this region, is now expected to be published four months after its initial projected completion date. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill says the revised timeline is "contingent on the completion of the ESRI reports within the expected timeframe" which will include regional capacity projections. Meelick Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe has been telling Clare FM's Seán Lyons while it's disappointing, there's a "chink of hope" in the rationale behind the postponement.

A protest is taking place at the Dáil this lunchtime, calling on the Health Minister to speed up the approval for and funding of a new drug for children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Families such as the Brogans have described the drug as a "game changer". To tell us more, we're joined by Conor Hunt...

The latest report from the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission is out - and it doesn't make for good reading. Suicide rates remain high, with no significant decrease since 2018. Also, fatal drug overdoses rose by 88% between 2016 and 2023, and 16,000 fewer people accessed specialist mental health and addiction services in the 2023/23 financial year compared to 2020/21. So are we actually making progress on improving our mental health system, and what does the government plan to do? Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey joined Nick Mills to discuss the findings. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, is urging the immediate formation of an independent mediation body to help resolve the deepening standoff between the government and striking nurses and midwives.

B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne answers questions about the province's efforts to expand involuntary care. This week, B.C. announced 18 new involuntary care beds in a "home-like" facility in Maple Ridge for people certified for long-term care under B.C.'s Mental Health Act.

"The strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) was unexpected. We are willing to negotiate, but as I speak, their leaders are not in the country. That said, we will not be intimidated, nor will we attempt to intimidate them. Our commitment is to dialogue, not conflict. Every decision we take will be in the best interest of the nation and its citizens."- Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Health Minister

The state of the health service has been a constant concern for New Zealanders. Simeon Brown joins Kathryn in the studio to discuss his plans for the health system

A passionate Mark Levy takes on Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson after shocking revelations emerged surrounding the brutal standards that doctors, frontline health workers, and patients are faced with in NSW under the collapse of the public mental healthcare systemSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HIQA is once again being urged to recommend another Emergency Department for the MidWest, when it publishes its landmark report, which is due in the coming days. The health watchdog has spent the last eight months reviewing emergency and urgent care capacity across Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary, and is expected to present its findings to the Health Minister this week. However HIQA has been unable to confirm if it will meet its target of publishing the report this month. Shannon Sinn Féin TD Donna McGettigan says the need for an ED in Clare is beyond clear.

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A top doctor at Nelson Hospital doubts the government's new redevelopment plans will be anywhere near enough. Health Minister Simeon Brown spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

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The Health Minister's not buying Opposition's criticism of Nelson Hospital's brought-forward upgrade. A temporary site will be in place in about a year, and a 128-bed inpatient building will be delivered by 2029. Meanwhile, Labour is calling the move a downgrade - as while they were in Government, they announced an upgrade with more beds than under the coalition's announcement. Simeon Brown says this will substantially increase beds in a cost-effective way. "If we continued with Labour's approach which they wanted to do, it was going to cost up to $1.8 billion dollars." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Health Minister has been warned that outsourcing more elective surgeries will limit training opportunities for future surgeons. Anusha Bradley reports.

Dr Frances O'Hagan from BMA NI and politicians talk to Nolan

Over the next four years $164 million will go towards setting up urgent care clinics in Counties Manukau, Whangārei, Palmerston North, Tauranga and Dunedin. Health Minister Simeon Brown spoke to Corin Dann.

The Health Minister has been warned of a large number of serious risks to his plans to outsource surgery to private hospitals to cut public waitlists. Phil Pennington spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The Health Minister has already been called upon to outline the winter plan for University Hospital Limerick, given concerns with ongoing overcrowding. UHL remains the busiest facility in the country today, with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation recording 81 patients on trolleys this morning, representing more than one-fifth of all patients without a bed nationwide. According to the HSE's own workforce report, the MidWest also has the lowest number of consultants per population in the country. Speaking in the Seanad Fianna Fáil Senator Dee Ryan says measures must be put in place to ensure there isn't a further exodus of staff to the new Bon Secour's Private Hospital due to open in September.

The Health Minister has repeatedly mistakenly referred to a new "960 bed block" coming on stream at University Hospital Limerick when questioned on overcrowding in the Dáil. The comments were made in response to Labour TD Conor Sheehan, who raised concerns over UHL being by far the busiest hospital in the country yesterday, when the INMO recorded over 100 patients on trolleys. The first of two new 96 bed blocks is expected to be built at Dooradoyle by September, but this will only increase bed capacity in real terms by 71. Responding to Deputy Sheehan, Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill says the discharge rate at the hospital is improving.

The Health Minister is standing by the current pay offer to senior doctors. Thousands of planned procedures have been delayed following yesterday's strike action, while Health New Zealand is applying to the Employment Relations Authority for urgent facilitation. Union members have told Newstalk ZB their pay rates aren't keeping up with the private sector or with Australia. But Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking the pay offer is "credible" given Health New Zealand only has so much money to go around. He says the health budget has to cover hospital services, GPs, aged care, and a range of other things, and there's pressure across the board. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Health Minister is making it clear he's not criticising doctors over pay - but their union. More than $5,000 senior doctors in the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists union have been striking today. Simeon Brown's urging them back to the negotiating table, saying thousands of surgeries - such as hip operations and knee replacements - have had to be delayed. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan questions if the doctors will accept a new offer. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The senior doctor's union says a pay increase offered in negotiations with Health New Zealand doesn't seem to have changed. About 5,000 senior doctors have been striking today, after eight months of failed bargaining. Health Minister Simeon Brown is urging members to resume talks. Salaried Medical Specialists Association executive director, Sarah Dalton, says what's being offered won't attract or retain talent. "What would be really helpful would be for the Minister to think about what funds they make available to Te Whatu Ora to help them sort this out." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 1 May 2025, the Health Minister has called striking doctors back to negotiating table. Doctors union boss Sarah Dalton speaks to Heather. ACT leader David Seymour wants to cut a significant number of Ministries to save more money but he won't say which ones he would cut. The ComCom explains why it won't do a market study into the price of air travel in New Zealand. Plus, a groundbreaking new study has for the first time linked vaping with irreversible lung disease. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gerard Murray, a victim of Michael Shine; Adrienne Reilly, Chief Executive Officer for Dignity4Patients; Alison Comyn, Fianna Fáil Senator; Darren O'Rourke, Sinn Féin TD for Meath East; Robert O'Donoghue, Labour TD for Dublin Fingal West; Gabija Gataveckaite, Political Correspondent for the Irish Independent

Despite reports of critical levels of vacancies for senior doctor positions, Taupō hospital now has accreditation to train rural doctors. It will be the first North Island hospital to receive accreditation to deliver the training. Meanwhile senior doctors are still planning to strike on Thursday, despite a new offer from Health New Zealand. Health Minister Simeon Brown talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tamale Teaching Hospital Doctors On Strike | Health Minister Issues Public Apology | Full Update

The Health Minister is planning a crackdown on the use of loyalty cards to buy cheap booze, will this be welcomed b consumers? Siobhán Maguire, Consumer Journalist brings us more details.

Health Minister Clashes with Tamale Teaching Hospital Over Patient's De@th.

The Health Minister is not ruling out setting up a Patient Safety Commissioner to help boost public confidence in the health system. Political reporter Anneke Smith has more.

Ask Chad Grassy Logic - S3 Ep12 - From Canada to Sunland Park Guest: George Smitherman Summary: This episode of "Ask Chad Grassy Logic" features George Smitherman, who has a background in Canadian politics, business and the cannabis industry. The discussion covers George's political career, including his time as a legislator and Health Minister, and how that led to his involvement with cannabis. They also explore the current state of the Canadian cannabis market, its growth, regulations, and potential future trends. Additionally, the episode touches on a local issue in New Mexico concerning a proposed cannabis dispensary near the Texas border, discussing potential legal and logistical challenges.

I've got a lot of time for Simeon Brown - he's a very good politician, but I reckon he might want to take the advice of Chris Hipkins - a man who was also once the Health Minister - and just tone down the fighting talk. Because accusing the striking senior doctors of the worst kind of politics is not going to help anyone. The only thing that is going to help right now is money - and he is simply going to have to pony up the cash and pay those doctors a lot more. Look, I know, there will not be a lot of public sympathy for doctors who are on that kind of money - whether it's $350,000 like Simeon claims or only $250,000 like the doctors claim - it doesn't matter whether we think they're paid not enough or too much What matters is what the rest of the world pays, because that's who we are competing against for senior doctors. NSW, I've been told, is the part of Australia that pays senior doctors the least, and their starting pay is more than what our senior doctors get on the highest level here. And they, by the way, just had a three-day strike themselves. We already have such a shortage of senior doctors in this country that in Taupo Hospital not even a third of the positions are filled. I don't know how they're running that place. So while I appreciate that Simeon Brown is a very good politician and could well end up wining the PR battle against the doctors - ultimately, it's not the voters he has to convince, it's the doctors. And there, money talks. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heidi Murphy has called out the Health Minister for not divulging how much taxpayers would be forced to pay for the SRL if the loop were cancelled.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A war of words is escalating between the Health Minister and senior doctors' union as its members prepare for unprecedented industrial action. Health Minister Simeon Brown has claimed the doctor's union is putting politics before patients but that has been met with a furious response from a frontline doctor calling the remark reprehensible. Labour says the government needs to stop hurling mud and focus on resolving the dispute.  The union wants a 12 percent pay bump but has been offered a much smaller increase of between 1 and 1.5 percent. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch reports.  

The Health Minister says their new $20 million health infrastructure plan is an answer to decades of under investment. The list includes new projects and general maintenance, but has no timeline. Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking the government will take time to engage with the private sector and see what they may be able to invest. He says the plan won't be delivered overnight but gives a clear indication of what needs to be done. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior doctors have voted to walk off the job for 24 hours on May the 1st. Minister of Health Simeon Brown spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

One in three people are waiting over two weeks for a GP appointment, while more than one in six wait three or four weeks - or even longer, according to RNZ's Reid Research poll. The Health Minister wants to bring in targets for primary care wait times - but doctors say that shouldn't be the only measure of good care. Ruth Hill reports.

Dunedin's mayor says he is frustrated by the slow progress on building the new Dunedin Hospital despite close to a quarter of the budget already being spent. In its October Ministerial update, Health New Zealand figures show more than $449 million has already been spent on the project out of its $1.88 billion budget. Health New Zealand says the money spent has all helped to drive the project forward, but a former Health Minister is concerned more delays and budget blowouts are on their way. Tess Brunton has more.