10. Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
How many elective surgical discharges were there in 2005-06 and how does this compare with the previous year?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Associate Minister of Health) Link to this
The 2005-06 year was the busiest for our public hospitals on record, with over 105,000 in-patient elective discharges. This compares well with the previous year, despite the thousands of elective procedures cancelled due to the junior doctors’ strike.
How can it be that the Government spent an extra $800 million on health last year, yet fewer New Zealanders got elective surgery than the year before—indeed, fewer New Zealanders got surgery of any kind than the year before—when Labour promised more?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
I remind that member that elective surgery accounts for just 20 percent of all hospital in-patients. We have to acknowledge that, unfortunately, due to the strike of the junior doctors, fewer elective surgeries were carried out.
Madam SPEAKERWould the Minister please be seated. I could not hear the answer to that question, so I ask the Minister to please start again. I also remind members who have changed their seats to the front row that barracking is not permitted under those circumstances. Would the Minister please give his answer again.
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
I would like to remind the House and that member that since we came into Government, 6,000 more New Zealanders are receiving elective surgery every year. We are putting money into every area of health, and we will be working particularly on the Primary Health Care Strategy to hopefully reduce those numbers over time.
Maryan StreetHow does the number of elective procedures performed last year compare with the number performed in the 1999-2000 financial year?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
I think it is important to remind that member once again that when we came into Government, 99,000 elective surgery procedures were carried out. Last year there were 105,000. That is 6,000 additional elective surgery procedures last year.
Barbara StewartWhat action, if any, is his ministry taking to establish the possible extent of unmet need in the health system, which may have financial implications for the public health system in the future?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
I am not aware of the particular survey, but I do know that we have spent a huge amount of additional funding in the area of primary health care—on mental health; in every area of the public health system; on new hospitals that the last National Government refused to build—which, over time, will reduce demand. Over time, the health system will be better able to meet all the needs of New Zealanders.
If the Government is doing such a good job, as he claims, why then is Graham from Rangiora being culled from the hospital waiting list for a hip replacement, even though his need is so great that he was given maximum points to get his operation—and his name has been culled from the waiting list, along with the names of over 5,000 other Canterbury people?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
It is far fairer for those patients to go back to their general practitioners to get an accurate indication of when they will receive their elective surgery. I know of a situation where, under the previous National Government, a person waited for over 10 years to get a hip replacement. We will not allow that level of uncertainty in our public health system.
Does he not consider that his ministry should be aware of the extent of unmet need, as this will also impact significantly on future workforce requirements?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
That member does make a valid point. It is important to know what the workforce requirements will be, and one of the first things we did on coming into Government was to plan for workforce developments. With regard to the unmet needs issue, with technology there will always be new needs that we have not accurately identified, but we are doing a lot more than the previous Government did to accurately identify and to fairly indicate to patients when they will get their procedures.
How can a man who has been given maximum points to get an operation—who is in pain, who has had to give up his lawnmowing business, and who cannot live the life of an active 60-year-old—be unable to have that operation, when his specialist has given him maximum points to get care?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
I cannot comment on the individual case, but I am sure that if that person does go back to his general practitioner, he will be accurately assessed and, more likely than not, will receive access to surgery in a timely manner.
Does this Minister not realise that this man went to his general practitioner, who sent him to the specialist who gave him maximum points to get an operation? He has had to give up his business and he is not able to lead the active life that this Minister leads. Yet the Minister is standing up in this Parliament and saying that everything is rosy in the garden of our public hospitals.
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
I am saying that it is a whole lot better than it was under that previous National Government and—[ Interruption]
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am saying that the system is a whole lot better under our Government than it was under the last National Government. And if the details of that particular case were to be forwarded to the district health board, I am sure that they would be looked at. It is not for me to comment on individual cases.