The Hutt Valley District Health Board is getting a cash injection of $8.6 million.

Corrections Minister Judith Collins today announced prisoners have 12 months to kick the smoking habit before a total ban comes in.

Department of Corrections bosses found taxpayers could be liable for lawsuits from prison guards exposed to inmates' second-hand smoke.

Drug control groups want a tightening of laws relating to synthetic cannabis products.

Calls for mothers to stop sleeping with their newborn children are being ignored by some hospitals and birthing centres.

Cough and cold medicines intended for children under 12 years old are to be sold only in pharmacies.

The HPV vaccination could mean more women with cervical cancer will not be diagnosed, health officials have warned.

Te Hamua Nikora is the Maori men's posterboy for what not to do about your health - but he's still a ridiculously handsome one, he reckons.

The Govt has allocated just under $500 million annually to health - $250m less a year than the increase in last year's budget.

The public health sector is bracing itself for a Budget that may not cover all its rising costs.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says children are being treated like dogs, as figures show serious cases of abuse against babies have leapt by two-thirds in just two years.