12. CHESTER BORROWS (National—Whanganui) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
Does he have confidence that ambulance services in provincial areas are appropriately resourced to ensure community safety; if not, why not?
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) Link to this
Yes, I do, and so does Mr Pennycock, the regional ambulance officer in Wanganui, who has said publicly that the city is adequately resourced and does not have gaping holes in services.
How can he have confidence, when last month in Wanganui the failure of a recently installed dispatch system meant that an ambulance was dispatched 20 minutes late, by which time a rest home resident had died from choking, and when conscientious paramedics had complained for 6 weeks that calls were being missed and nothing was done?
I am not aware of that instance, but I can tell the member that the ambulance communication project for the country will be rolled out on 1 July this year. This will seriously, significantly improve communications with ambulances.
Darren HughesMost recently about 4 months ago to the day, at which point Mr Borrows said he was going to take it up with me. Apart from a few parliamentary questions, I am still waiting.
Dr Pita SharplesHe aha i āta whakaaro ai ngā tohunga kaimahi me ngā āpiha pukumahi o te Rōpū Waka Tūroro ki Whanganui ki te kore rātou e haere ki te mahi, kia whakaatu ai ki te ao i ngā raruraru kua tau mai ki runga i a rātou me tō rātou hapori; ā, he aha he mahi māna, mā te Minita ki te whakatikatika i ō rātou āwangawanga?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Why have the professional and dedicated officers of the local St John Ambulance in Wanganui seriously contemplated going on strike to highlight the vulnerability of their community and]
The Government pays St John Ambulance and other ambulance providers money to provide contracted services, and how that money is distributed is substantially up to the provider. It is a matter of fact that the amount of money paid by this Government for ambulance services in New Zealand has risen by 17 percent over 3 years—not the sort of increase that one could come up with if one was in a party that had large tax cuts on its mind, as the National Party does. One can spend money around here but once. One spends it either on services or on tax cuts.
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. The question asked: what action will the Minister be taking on this matter?
Madam SPEAKERLet me explain to the member that the Government sets standards for ambulance services. It provides money to ambulance services to provide those services. How the money is distributed, one town to another, is up to the ambulance services involved.
Does the Minister believe that the people of Wanganui should be confident in the resourcing of their local ambulance services, when last month in Wanganui a single-crew ambulance officer was unable to manage a quadriplegic patient who was choking and turning blue, and who would have died if another vehicle had not been able to respond?
Does the Minister still stand by his comment in the Manawatu Standard on 6 September 2005: “… there is no intention to double crew in all situations, only emergencies where more than one officer is necessary.”; or does he accept that an emergency service, such as an ambulance service, by definition is one where preparation should always be made for the best response to an emergency, or should people ring a taxi in the first instance?
The ambulance communication project, to be rolled out nationally from 1 July, will enable a degree of triaging, so that with some certainty we can send the right people in the right quantity to the right place at the right time.
I seek leave to table an article from the Manawatu Standard where the Minister of Health said, as the then Associate Minister of Health, that he had no intention to double-crew ambulances.