6. Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
What cuts to existing health services is he prepared to accept in order to have district health boards meet the demands of his letter of expectations?
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) Link to this
I am expecting district health boards to be more productive within the resources they have, and within the additional resources they will be receiving. I have also made it clear that some low-quality programmes will have to be stopped or deferred, in order to move resources to better help sick people. My letter of expectations made it very clear that the new Government expects improved performance, particularly in relation to elective surgery, emergency department waiting-times, cancer treatment waiting-times, and clinical leadership.
So does that answer mean that it is OK for women from Karamea, Waimangaroa, and Westport to now have to travel for up to 3 hours in order to have a breast screen, when women working in this parliamentary complex just have to walk out to the forecourt to have exactly the same level of service; if it is not OK, what is the Minister going to do about it?
The Ministry of Health is in discussion with the provider of breast-screening services on the West Coast, and made it very clear that the new Government expects an improvement on the service that it has inherited on the West Coast.
Dr Paul Hutchison Link to this
Why, in the Minister’s letter of expectations, did he include a significant emphasis on district health boards living within their means?
The previous Labour administration left the New Zealand public health sector on a track to financial crisis. Let me give the House three facts: firstly, district health board deficits that that party opposite said were only $111 million are heading towards $160 million; secondly, we face requests of $600 million in capital with little resources to meet those; and, finally, the outgoing Labour administration must surely have known that it had removed $150 million from the health budget over the next 2 years. I call on the member opposite to admit these facts, and to explain them.
Will the Minister join the chairs of district health boards and the chief executives of district health boards whose jobs he has put on notice if they cannot cut cancer treatment times, and offer to resign if women from Buller have to wait longer for breast cancer screening and diagnosis?
It is quite clear that district health boards have a responsibility to provide services for the people of their communities. This Government is not prepared to tolerate a situation whereby the health budget doubled in the last 9 years and fewer people received service, on a population basis.
Has he seen newspaper reports that cash-strapped patients are putting off having cancer treatment from their general practitioners, and will he take any action about that, or is he still determined to let the market decide general practice fees?
The Government is determined to improve the service that cancer patients in this country receive. We think it is intolerable that the previous Government doubled the health budget, yet sent 180 New Zealand men and women to Australia for treatment. We are not going to be able to turn this round overnight, but we are at least dealing with the problems that that member failed to deal with.
Mr SPEAKERIf I recollect the member’s question correctly, she asked whether he had seen reports of something. That kind of question is not exactly that precise. I think we need to make sure that questions are asked very clearly if the answers that are sought are to be received. If I misheard the member—
Is it OK that in the 4 months since he has been Minister, New Zealanders have seen service cuts in Taranaki, staff cuts in Tai Rāwhiti, home support service cuts in Otago, elective surgery cuts on the West Coast, and now, increased costs and waiting-times for women from Buller who are waiting for breast cancer screening; if it is not OK, what is he going to do about it?