7. Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
Does he still stand by his previous mark of the health system of 5.5 out of 10; if not, what mark would he give it now?
Hon JIM ANDERTON (Associate Minister of Health) Link to this
Noting that the same question was asked by the member on 1 May and on 16 May, I reply in roughly the same vein, on behalf of the Minister. He marks the health system as continually improving and expanding, because this Labour-led Government has always made health investment a high priority, and will continue to do so.
Is the Minister aware that, according to the latest information from the six neonatal units around the country, if a highly at-risk premature baby is born this afternoon, not one suitable intensive care cot is available for that child anywhere in the country, when this Government was warned 3½ years ago, under Annette King, that this crisis was on the way?
I am aware that extra neonatal units have been installed in New Zealand, and I am also aware that on the watch of the National Party babies were being shipped out to Australia for a long time, and that the member who asked the question was in that Government.
Maryan StreetHas the Minister received any recent reports on New Zealand trends in basic health indices, such as life expectancy?
Yes, I have. Life expectancy is perhaps the most basic index of national health, and New Zealand’s continues to improve, with a gain of 2.2 years for females and 3.5 years for males, between 1995-97 and 2002-04. [ Interruption] Additionally, there is more good news, which, of course, the member interjecting never wants to hear because her glass is always half empty. [] I see; the National Party was in Government between 2002-04—I must have missed that period; I must have been somewhere else. Additionally, the gap between Māori and non-Māori life expectancy, after some years of widening, has narrowly and slightly, of course, over recent years improved.
Is it not churlish to be talking about life expectancy at a time when no suitable intensive care cot is available anywhere in New Zealand for a highly at-risk premature baby born today, when 3½ years ago this very document that I am holding landed on Annette King’s desk, telling her that there was a desperate need to increase the number of those most serious intensive care beds, and we find today, 3½ years later, that there are two extra beds?
It is interesting that the member has raised the issue of the care of infants, because infant mortality rates in New Zealand—seeing that the member has raised the issue—are steadily declining, down from 7.1 deaths per 1,000 in 1997, when the member’s Government was in power, to 5.1 per 1,000 live births in the year ended 31 March 2007. That is a 28 percent reduction in infant mortality. I would have expected that the shroud-waver from Whakatāne would be celebrating that, rather than being as miserable as he always is in this House.
Does the Minister agree with me that the Government can talk all it likes about the $5 billion a year extra in spending or the $1.2 billion being spent on hospital buildings, but the fact is that when it comes to providing suitable intensive care beds for the most at-risk premature children in this country being born today, there are only two more of those cots available than when this Government was warned 3½ years ago about this crisis?
It may come as a great shock to the member, who asks me whether I agree with him, but I have never agreed with anything that member has ever said in this House, on either side of the House. I point out to him that an infant born today in New Zealand has a greater life expectancy and a greater chance of living than an infant born under the care of the Government that he represented.
Dr Jonathan Coleman Link to this
Is the Minister aware that in the past few days Dunedin and Timaru hospitals have told patients to stay away from their accident and emergency departments because they cannot cope; and given that in 1996 Helen Clark said: “We know that winter brings an increase in health problems … But our hospitals must be ready to cope with the problems. It just isn’t good enough to have basic services break down …”, how does he explain his total failure to address the problem in our accident and emergency departments?
Even the meanest of minds knows that this Government has made extraordinary increases in investment in the health sector. Given that fact, we wonder what kind of health system we would have had under the billions of dollars of tax cuts promised by National in every single election since we have been in Government. I would like the smoking doctor over there to explain that to the people of New Zealand sometime.
I seek leave to table two documents. The first is the latest hospital cot status, which shows there are no—
Madam SPEAKER