10. MARYAN STREET (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
Has he received any reports on how New Zealand’s work to prepare for an influenza pandemic compares internationally?
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) Link to this
Yes, I have. Dr Omi, the World Health Organization Regional Director of the Western Pacific, said yesterday that New Zealand is among the best-prepared countries in the world for a possible flu pandemic. This is a significant endorsement of the efforts of communities, businesses, and the Government. But it is important to remember that there is still a good deal of work left to be done.
Yes, they will. The World Health Organization will use the Ministry of Health’s public awareness campaign, including the brochures and broadcast advertising, as a model for other Governments to follow. That will be a significant help to developing countries with limited resources to produce campaigns of their own.
Does the Minister have any response to the Health Committee’s recent report on a potential flu pandemic?
Yes. The report was helpful in part, but it is also the case that it was about 3 months out of date, and pandemic planning is a fast-moving business. That is why I wrote 2 weeks ago to all the health spokespersons in the House to invite them to make their contribution. I have had conversations with, or responses from, every health spokesperson in the House, with the exception of the National Party health spokesperson.
Hon Tony RyallIf the Government is so prepared and so advanced in its pandemic planning, where is the plan on how we will mobilise people to care for the sick at home?
This is probably the umpteenth time that the question has been asked of me, and I again give the answer, as I have in the past, that in the event of a worst-case scenario pandemic, there will not be enough people who are fit and able to provide home-based services for all who need them. That is to say, most of the home-based services will come from families and close friends, in a worst-case scenario. There is no way that we can invent a population of fit and health people to do that, when 40 percent of the population have the flu.