Delays at Nelson hospital becoming "dangerous"
Ageing infrastructure, persistent delays in recruiting staff and an increasing demand for services have been identified as some of the issues facing Nelson Hospital. A review was commissioned after several doctors spoke to media about their longstanding concerns over staffing and patient safety. But it stopped short of explaining how these problems would be solved. Anaesthetist at Nelson Hospital and the president of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, Dr Katie Ben spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.
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RNZ News
19 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Food airdropped into Gaza as Israel says opening aid routes
Two Jordanian and one Emirati plane on dropped 25 tonnes of humanitarian aid over the Gaza Strip, Jordanian state television reported on 27 July. Israel also parachuted food aid, and trucks of flour were seen arriving in northern Gaza through a crossing from Israel, according to AFP journalists. Photo: AFP / Bashar Taleb Jordanian and Emirati planes dropped food into Gaza as Israel began a limited "tactical pause" in some military operations to allow the UN and aid agencies to tackle a deepening hunger crisis. The Palestinian territory is gripped by dire humanitarian conditions created by 21 months of war and made worse by Israel's total blockade of aid from March to May. Since the easing of the blockade, the levels of aid reaching Gaza have been far below what aid groups say is needed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted his government was not to blame for the dire situation and lashed out at the UN. The Israeli military dismissed allegations that it had been using starvation as a weapon, saying it had coordinated with the UN and international agencies to "increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip". A Palestinian boy reacts as he carries a bag of flour in the al-Mawasi camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, that was picked up from the Rafah corridor on 27 July 2025. Photo: AFP The World Health Organisation warned on Sunday that malnutrition was reaching "alarming levels" in Gaza. It said that of the 74 recorded malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 had occurred in July -- including 24 children aged under five, one child older than five, and 38 adults. "Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting," the UN health agency said. "The crisis remains entirely preventable. Deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health and humanitarian aid has cost many lives." The UN's World Food Programme said a third of the population of Gaza had not eaten for days, and 470,000 were "enduring famine-like conditions". UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher welcomed Israel's tactical pauses, saying his teams "will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window". People walk with sacks of flour delivered after trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered northern Gaza on 27 July, 2025 coming from the Zikim border crossing. Photo: AFP / Bashar Taleb The Israeli decision came as international pressure mounted on Netanyahu to prevent mass starvation in the territory. Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz joined the chorus of concern on Sunday, urging the Israeli premier "to provide the starving civilian population in Gaza with urgently needed humanitarian aid now". Accusing the UN of fabricating "pretexts and lies about Israel" blocking aid, Netanyahu said in remarks at an airbase that "there are secure routes" for aid. "There have always been, but today it's official. There will be no more excuses," he added. The situation inside the territory deteriorated sharply after Israel imposed its total blockade on aid in March. It later eased the blockade, but sidelined the UN and major aid agencies and instead relied on a newly created, US-backed private foundation. Aid groups refused to work with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, accusing it of furthering Israel's military goals, while hundreds of people have been killed attempting to reach its sites. The Jordanian military said its planes, working with the United Arab Emirates, had delivered 25 tonnes of aid in three parachute drops over Gaza on Sunday. The Israeli military also said it had conducted a drop, parachuting seven pallets of aid into the territory. Truckloads of flour were also seen arriving in northern Gaza through the Zikim area crossing from Israel, according to AFP journalists. AFP correspondents also saw trucks crossing from Egypt, heading for Israeli inspection before entering Gaza. The charity Oxfam's regional policy chief Bushra Khalidi called Israel's latest moves a "welcome first step" but warned they were insufficient. "Starvation won't be solved by a few trucks or airdrops," she said. "What's needed is a real humanitarian response: ceasefire, full access, all crossings open and a steady, large-scale flow of aid into Gaza. "We need a permanent ceasefire, a complete lifting of the siege." In general, humanitarian officials are deeply sceptical that airdrops can deliver enough food safely to tackle the hunger crisis facing Gaza's more than two million inhabitants. Gazans watch as a military plane flies over during an aid drop in the northern Gaza Strip. Photo: AFP / Bashar Taleb In Gaza City's Tel el-Hawa district, 30-year-old Suad Ishtaywi said her "life's wish" was simply to feed her children. She spoke of her husband returning empty-handed from each day from aid points. There were chaotic scenes at the site where Israel conducted its first food drop, witnesses told AFP. Samih Humeid, a 23-year-old from the Al-Karama neighbourhood of Gaza City, said dozens of people had gathered to rush towards the parachuted supplies. "It felt like a war, everyone trying to grab whatever they could. Hunger is merciless. The quantities were extremely limited, not enough even for a few people, because hunger is everywhere. I only managed to get three cans of fava beans," he said. The Israeli army's daily pause from 10am to 8pm will be limited to areas where its troops are not currently operating -- Al-Mawasi in the south, Deir el-Balah in the centre and Gaza City in the north. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, citing "reasonable grounds" to suspect war crimes including starvation - charges Israel vehemently denies. On Sunday, according to the Gaza civil defence agency, Israeli army fire killed 27 Palestinians, 12 of them near aid distribution areas. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. - AFP
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
'Awful error': Two-month-old dies following overdose after pharmacy allegedly gives medication at wrong dosage
By Sam Sherwood, Bellamere Duncan died at Starship Hospital on 19 July. Photo: Supplied Warning: This story has details of the death of an infant A two-month-old baby died following an overdose after she was allegedly given medication at an adult dosage by a pharmacy, RNZ can reveal. In an exclusive interview, her grieving parents are calling for a law change that would make it mandatory for medication to be checked by two people before it is dispensed. The revelations have prompted the Ministry of Health and Health New Zealand to "urgently" undertake a joint review into the incident, with Medsafe visiting the pharmacy to ensure they are safe to continue operating. The Pharmacy Council, which is also investigating, says it is "clear that an awful error has occurred". Bellamere Arwyn Duncan was born at 31 weeks and five days at Palmerston North Hospital on 2 May. Her parents Tempest Puklowski and Tristan Duncan knew from the scans she was going to be "quite tiny", and were told she would be early but no one expected she would come as early as she did. "That was definitely on her own accord," Puklowski, a first-time mum, says. "She sort of just made up her mind, and was like 'I'm coming out'." Bellamere, who weighed 1023 grams when she was born, spent about two months in the neonatal unit. Puklowski says she could not wait to bring her baby home and was excited when she was discharged on 24 June. Do you know more? Email While in hospital, Puklowski gave Bellamere her drops for Vitamin D. Nurses also administered her phosphate. When they left hospital they were given some Vitamin D in a little bottle, and a prescription for iron and Vitamin D. The following day Duncan went to a Manawatu pharmacy with the prescriptions. He was given the iron, but says the pharmacy refused to give the Vitamin D as the staff thought the dosage was "too high for her age and her weight". The staff said they would call the neonatal unit and follow-up. A few days later Puklowski received a call from the unit to organise a home care visit. During the call she was asked if she had any concerns, and Puklowski asked if they had been contacted about the Vitamin D. They had not, and said they would follow up and rewrite the prescription along with a prescription for phosphate. The homecare visit went well. Bellamere had put on weight, and was "doing well", Puklowski recalls. "She was settling in perfect." Bellamere Duncan's parents were allegedly given an adult dosage of phosphate by the pharmacy. Photo: Supplied A day after the phone call, on 2 July, Duncan went to the pharmacy to collect the medication and came home with just the phosphate. Unbeknown to the parents, they had allegedly been given an adult dosage of phosphate. The label on the medication directed them to dissolve one 500mg tablet of phosphate twice daily in a glass of water. Puklowski said given the pharmacy's refusal to give them the Vitamin D, they did not even think to question the dosage. That evening they gave Bellamere her first dose of the medicine in her formula water. They would give her three bottles in 24 hours as was recommended. The couple noticed in that period that her eating was off, and thought she was "extra gassy", Puklowski says. "She was still feeding fine. She just wasn't maybe going through a whole bottle compared to what she was," she recalls. Then, the day after she got her first dosage, Bellamere suddenly stopped breathing. "We were like oh shit, I went straight into panic," Puklowski says. "Tristan had to start administering CPR, and I was on the phone to the ambulance which arrived very quickly, within at least five to 10 minutes." Bellamere was flown to Starship Hospital after she suddenly stopped breathing. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Bellamere was taken to hospital and rushed to the emergency department. Once she was stabilised she was taken to the neonatal unit where she stayed overnight before she was flown to Starship Hospital. "We were definitely terrified and more confused than anything about what was going on," Puklowski says. The couple told the doctors they were worried they had overfed her, and her body was struggling to get it out. "I was trying to think of what had changed in the past 24 hours, which was her phosphate," Puklowski says. The couple had taken a bottle of the medicine with them to Starship Hospital. She gave it to the staff who saw that they had been given an adult dose. The staff then requested the original prescription which confirmed the script had been written with the correct dosage, but somehow the pharmacy had given the wrong dosage, Puklowski says. "I keep thinking about how much she ended up having and it just makes me feel sick." Once at Starship Hospital the couple were told they would "have to make some hard decisions". "But then we went and saw her. She was still moving and her eyes were still opening. "So we were like, 'No. She's our strong little fighter. I mean, look at how well she's done so far'." Tragically, Bellamere died at Starship Hospital on 19 July. "It was completely horrible," Puklowski says of having to say goodbye to her baby. A preliminary coroner's opinion is that Bellamere died of phosphate toxicity, her parents confirmed. A week on from their daughter's death, the couple are still in shock. Puklowski says she is in "disbelief". "They're just numb," Puklowski's mother, Rachelle Puklowski says. "It's completely traumatised them. They just watched Bella pass twice, once in their home and then again up at the hospital." The owner of the Manawatu pharmacy that dispensed the medication said in a statement to RNZ the baby's death was "a tragedy". "Our sympathy is with the family and whānau. This is a very difficult time. "We are looking into what has happened to try to understand how this took place. There will also be external reviews which we will work with." RNZ asked the owner how the medication was given at the wrong dosage, whether they disputed the allegations, when the pharmacy became aware the wrong dosage had been given, and what confidence people could have about other medication received from the pharmacy. The owner said the pharmacy was "devastated about what has happened and are investigating to find out how this occurred". "It is not appropriate to comment further at this stage." Duncan describes what happened to his daughter as "negligence". "How was it overlooked?" Puklowski wants to know. "Not even just in the initial making of it, but in the handing of it to us. They denied us the Vitamin D because they thought the dosage was too high for her age and weight, but can proceed to give us a full adult dosage of phosphate, like it just makes no absolute sense," she said. "They have to make sure they realise the kind of mistake that they have made, and that something has been done about it." The couple are adamant they want changes to the system for giving out medication. "It's the sort of thing that can't really be overlooked. "There needs to be something better in effect, rather than just relying on one person to make sure you're getting the right prescription, having at least a few eyes." Pharmacy Council chief executive Michael Pead said in a statement to RNZ the council's "heartfelt thoughts" were with Bellamere's family following the "absolute tragedy". "It is clear that an awful error has occurred, and as the regulator for pharmacists, we are working on understanding every detail of what happened, what went wrong, how it went wrong, and who was involved. The Pharmacy Council is working promptly to take any immediate steps required to ensure public safety. "Our enquiry and investigation processes are currently underway and, until these are complete, we cannot provide any further details. At the end of the process, we will make any recommended changes to ensure as best as possible an event like this does not happen again." The Pharmacy Council operated within a wider framework of organisations responsible for the protection of public health and safety, Pead said. "We have also referred the incident to other relevant organisations to ensure they can act on any matters that may fall into their remit. "We would emphasise that situations of this nature are extremely rare. No health practitioner goes to work aiming to cause harm, and New Zealanders can have faith that the pharmacists working in their communities and hospitals are vigilant about medicine dosage and patient safety." Pead said the council set the standard that all pharmacists follow a "logical, safe and methodical procedure" to dispense therapeutic products. Every pharmacy would have their own standard operating procedures that covered the dispensing and checking process, he said. "It involves checking the prescription for legality and eligibility, clinical assessment and accuracy check. "The check by a second person (separation of dispenser and checker roles) is considered best practice and is often built into the checking process in a pharmacy's procedures. The pharmacist is responsible for the final check. Sometimes this may not be possible for a sole charge pharmacist, working alone in the dispensary. It is recommended that a second self-check should be carried out, taking a few moments between the prescriptions to 'reset' and performing the final check with care." Health New Zealand and the Ministry of Health released a joint statement to RNZ, extending their "heartfelt condolences" to Bellamere's family. "Health New Zealand and the Ministry of Health take very seriously incidents like these, which while rare, are always thoroughly investigated to identify any lessons that can be learned. "Both agencies involved are acting urgently in undertaking a joint review into this incident, exploring all aspects of the care provided." Health New Zealand is undertaking a serious incident review and the Ministry of Health will be looking at actions taken by health services in the community. "This will occur alongside providing any information requested by the coroner." On Friday, a Ministry of Health spokesperson told RNZ that Medsafe had visited the pharmacy where the medicine was dispensed and completed an initial assessment that the pharmacy was safe to continue operating. "That initial assessment is part of a rapid audit and site visit of the pharmacy which is being carried out by Medsafe, aimed to provide additional assurance that the pharmacy is meeting expected standards." The actions taken by Medsafe and the Pharmacy Council would help inform the ongoing review, the spokesperson said. "These measures are occurring alongside providing any information requested by the coroner." Health Minister Simeon Brown said in a statement to RNZ he was "heartbroken" for Bellamere's family who had "inexplicably lost their baby in tragic circumstances". "My thoughts are with them at this incredibly difficult time. "I am advised that the Pharmacy Council has taken immediate action and is investigating this incident. The council has also advised other appropriate regulators."
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Medsafe considers crackdown on import of unregulated peptide medications
Medsafe says people are buying unregulated peptides from websites that make health claims for which there is little or no evidence. Photo: Science Photo Li / WBU / Science Photo Library via AFP New Zealanders are buying potentially high-risk, unregulated peptide medications from overseas websites to treat sexual dysfunction, memory loss and more. Medsafe is considering a crackdown, warning many are sold based on unproven claims. It hopes to have several of them - and similar ones that may crop up - classified as prescription medicines, making it illegal to import them without a prescription. In a written submission to the Medicines Classification Committee, Medsafe said peptides were being bought from websites that made claims they could help with "cognitive enhancement, hair growth, libido enhancers, sexual dysfunction, immune enhancers and cancer treatment", and more. However, there was often little, if any, evidence to back up the claims. Most had not been tested for safety and efficacy on humans. Medsafe could not seize peptides at the border, if they were not classed as prescription medicine. Instead, it released the products to the purchasers with a "high-risk medicine letter". "This is posing a risk to health, as the product's quality, efficacy and interactions with other medicines is unknown," the submission said. Because new peptide substances were created all the time, Medsafe asked the committee to class whole groups of them as prescription medicines, so future versions that fell within the group would still be covered. Many websites that sold peptides claimed to sell them "for research purposes", but customers intended to use them therapeutically, the submission said. Fifty-six parcels were intercepted at the border in the year to May, containing peptides or prescription medications known as selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMS). Customs said it couldn't say how many got through without interception. Medsafe said the classification review would take into consideration the safety and appropriateness of being able to import these products, as well the risks of limiting access. The committee considered the submission at a meeting on Wednesday and its decision has not been made public yet. The final decision on medicine classification changes will be made by the Minister of Health at the committee's recommendation. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
