Wellington, March 15 NZPA - League tables showing which primary health organisations (PHOs) are doing best -- and worst -- at meeting community health needs have been released by the Ministry of Health for the first time.

The Government is determined to improve the health of Pacific people and increase their participation in the health sector, Pacific Island Affairs Minister Georgina te Heuheu said today.

Tobacco use significantly increases the risk of oral cancer and the demand for oral health care, and Maori are among the worst hit, says the New Zealand Dental Association.

C&C DHB has worked hard to show improvements (or remaining at 100%) in all but one target this quarter, despite the national Health Targets being introduced only late last year.

World Kidney Day on March 11 is being held to raise awareness of the importance of the kidney in maintaining good health.

The Government is investing over $4 million in ground-breaking Type 1 diabetes research, Minister of Research, Science and Technology Wayne Mapp announced today.

Even though we feel like winter will never come, putting a reminder in your diary to make your seasonal influenza vaccination appointment is the recommendation from Waikato District Health Board medical officer of health Felicity Dumble.

Nearly a year ago, Education Minister Anne Tolley announced the scrapping of a mandate for healthy foods in schools, a move many health experts fear could have lasting negative implications for school children.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) have awarded more than $700,000 following a call for research into the Influenza A (H1N1) 09 virus.

Wellington, Jan 12 NZPA - Two Auckland health experts have teamed up to study gestational diabetes and how the illness differs among ethnic groups.