While Samoanagalo was an early New Year present for the Sius, the prize for first baby born in New Zealand this year might just go to Danielle Langlands, whose son Felix was born at 12.12am on Friday at Hāwera Hospital. A short time after his birth maternity staff became concerned with his breathing and made the call to fly Felix up to Taranaki Base Hospital in New Plymouth for an assessment. With no room in the helicopter, Danielle and Felix s dad, John, drove to New Plymouth by car, looking out for the lights of the chopper ahead of them.
Is rural generalism best for the Coast?
In recent weeks, various medics and their union have - unusually for the profession - aired their views in this paper on the use of rural generalists , a new breed of doctor increasingly being employed on the West Coast to work both in hospitals and at GP clinics.
Te Nikau Hospital & Health Centre, Greymouth.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
For the West Coast District Health Board, rural generalists or rural health specialists, as they re also known, are a godsend: the answer to the region s perennial difficulties in attracting specialists and GPs. But the senior doctors union, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, has warned of their potential to displace more highly-trained doctors, and ultimately reduce West Coast residents access to that level of care. What is the community supposed to make of this? What exactly are rural generalists and how safe are people in their hands?
Prisoners hospitalised after consuming hallucinogen datura grown at Christchurch Women s Prison
27 Dec, 2020 02:12 AM
4 minutes to read
Christchurch Women s Prison has launched an operational review into the incident. Photo / RNZ
Social issues reporter, NZ Heraldmichael.neilson@nzherald.co.nz
Three inmates at Christchurch Women s Prison were hospitalised after eating worms, licking spiders and consuming the hallucinogenic plant datura, which they found growing on prison grounds.
Two of the women were so ill they had to be kept in hospital overnight, and the Department of Corrections is investigating how the hallucinogen, a tall shrub that also grows as a weed, came to be growing at the prison.
“There are no ongoing health concerns for any of the prisoners involved,” Alleyne said. One woman returned to the prison that evening and was placed in the Intervention and Support Unit for monitoring, and two stayed in hospital overnight, and were discharged the following day. “When interviewed the women admitted to eating various plants and bugs, including a plant from the datura species. “The plant was removed from the grounds and destroyed immediately.” Alleyne said staff had carried out further checks across the grounds to make sure there are no similar plants on site.
Stacy Squires/Stuff
The Christchurch Women s Prison inmates could face sanctions if they’re found guilty of misconduct after the incident.
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