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.

The Health and Disability Commissioner has suggested that access to publicly-funded health services depends on where patients live.

A nurse has been struck off the register for punching a "vulnerable" elderly man in the mouth while she was working at a resthome.