9. LESLEY SOPER (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
What recent reports has he received on primary health care?
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Minister of Health) Link to this
I have seen a report that quotes the National spokesman on health, Tony Ryall, as saying “What patients will want to know is that the fees they pay are reasonable and will not rise unchecked. For this reason we will maintain a GP fee review process”. That is the exact opposite of a claim he made last September, when he said “We don’t support Labour’s fees control system. We’ll be knocking it on the head.”
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE Link to this
A very great deal of benefits. Smoking rates are the lowest in New Zealand’s recorded history, nine out of 10 patients rate the health of their child as excellent or very good, primary health care costs in New Zealand have decreased, and in the past 12 months just 1.7 percent of adults and 1 percent of children reported cost as a barrier to seeing a general practitioner. This strategy has been an undeniable success, and now, like so many other Labour policies, the National Party is adopting it. The question remains as to whether National members could be trusted to honour that if they were ever in office.