9. DARREN HUGHES (Labour—Otaki) Link to this
to the Associate Minister of Health
What action is the Government taking to enhance health services in rural and provincial New Zealand?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Associate Minister of Health) Link to this
The Labour-led Government is very aware of the realities of rural life and we have introduced many initiatives to enhance rural health services. To list just a few, there is the rural premium paid by district health boards to primary health organisations with rural practices; a rural recruitment service providing for the recruitment of general practitioners and nurse practitioners; a rural innovation fund, which encourages the uptake and spread of innovative approaches to care in the rural health sector; and the number of fully funded places for general practice training will rise from 69 a year to 104 from next February. Those are just a few of the many initiatives we have undertaken in this area.
Is the Minister aware of any reports that would adversely affect health services in rural and provincial New Zealand?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
Unfortunately, yes. I read in disbelief that the National Party intends to let the market determine how much general practitioners will charge. Although the National health spokesperson tried very hard to keep it in the closet, National has shown that it intends to treat the health care of New Zealanders as just another commodity for sale in the marketplace. National’s plan will simply not deliver the services our rural communities expect or deserve. Market forces will not moderate general practitioners’ fees in rural areas, as there is often only one general practitioner available. In market terms that is a monopoly.
Hon Tony RyallCan the Minister advise, in respect of the area represented by the member who asked the main question, what action the Government is taking to ensure that the 750 people on the Kapiti Coast who cannot register with a general practitioner can register, and can the Minister also explain why the Government is supporting the privatisation of district nursing on the Kapiti Coast?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
We are very aware of the challenges on the Kapiti Coast for some general practitioners. That is why we have in place supportive policies that assist to fund and support general practitioners and nurses right across the Kapiti Coast—and, indeed, across the country. The question I have for that member is whether he would guarantee, if his market-forces policy came into being, that those good patients at the Whakatane Medical Practice would pay $15.50 maximum for their general practitioner visits, as happens under this Government’s policy. Would the market-forces policy guarantee those low access fees?
In respect of the constituents on the Kapiti Coast who are waiting to be enrolled with a primary health organisation with a general practitioner, can those constituents take the advice of John Key and just go down the road to another general practitioner if they do not like the prices, or does the fact that there is a waiting list for my constituency just show that the market model and the invisible hand of the market does not work in the provision of general practitioner health services?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
The fact that there is a waiting list indicates that the Kapiti Coast is a wonderful place to live in and that it is being well supported by the local members up there. The district health board is working through that issue to ensure that people can be registered with the primary health organisation in that area.
Hon Dr Nick Smith Link to this
I seek leave to table the statement by Damien O’Connor that he supports the privatisation of the Motueka—
Madam SPEAKER