The Government will ban all synthetic drugs within two weeks until they can be proven to be low-risk, Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has revealed.

When media report the method in which somebody ends their own life, it can result in copycat suicide, the Law Commission says.

Health officials are concerned clusters of the harmful H1N1 virus, responsible for the 2009 swine flu pandemic, are appearing unseasonably early.

The Ministry of Health has written to school principals advising them to ensure all pupils, parents and staff are immunised against measles as an outbreak threatens to sweep the country.

The death of a 6-week old Christchurch baby from whooping cough in 2012 was preventable, a coroner has concluded.

The collapse of the Southern District Health Board's computer system could affect elective surgery and other procedures at Dunedin Hospital.

Kiwis are 'dying from embarrassment' because of a reluctance to speak with doctors about bowel cancer symptoms as NZ tops a report into global bowel cancer rates

A registered nurse who hung up on callers while working at a government-funded health service has been suspended from working as a nurse for two years.

The Human Rights Commission is calling for a star-rating system that would expose poorly performing rest homes to help families avoid them.

Editorial: Documents for public consumption should be written succinctly and in plain English. Their value is much reduced if this is not done.

You've got to look, listen - and sniff - when choosing a rest home for yourself or your elderly mother or father, experts advise.

Moving in with nine flatmates takes a bit of getting used to when you're 73, says Alison Glen.

At 95, Lilian Robinson is blazing a new path for older Kiwis who want to stay out of rest homes.

An official website providing rest-home audits has been revamped to help people find aged care facilities wherever they live in the country.

Making sure pregnant mums see a doctor within 10 weeks of conception should be a national priority, say MPs working to improve children's health.

The Ministry of Health acted unlawfully in refusing to consider paying a mother for the care she gives her Down Syndrome son, the High Court has ruled.

The Ministry of Health's Medsafe has stepped up warnings to GPs about a contraception rod, as thousands of Kiwi women turn to the seemingly trouble-free protection from pregnancy.

More than 20 untested brands of synthetic cannabis are now legally on sale and likely to stay on the shelves well into next year.

Duty-free cigarettes are in the firing line: good news for the Government's tax revenue but bad news for the dwindling numbers of smokers.

Kiwis have cemented their reputation as some of the world's most voracious fast food consumers, with a newly opened Wendy's outlet in the Waikato selling 20,000 burgers in its first week of operation, setting a record for the global chain.

Police were called to the administration block at Invercargill Prison this morning after a letter was discovered to contain white powder.

Last year, Pharmac approved CareSens products and cut funding for other meters, saving about $10 million.