4. Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
Is access to primary health services a priority for him as Minister; if so, why was it not listed as such in his letter of expectations?
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) Link to this
Yes, access to primary health care services is important. It is clear from the general election that the public expects better services from our public hospitals. We have inherited a lot of pressing problems in that area, and that is why the Government has elevated immediate emphasis on improving hospital services, reducing waiting lists, and improving workforce retention. Having said that, I made it clear in my letter of expectations that commitment to the Primary Health Care Strategy is bipartisan and remains important, and if the member had read past the third paragraph of my letter, she would have seen that.
What part of “Better, sooner, more convenient care” did a young Nelson woman with autism receive when she was locked in a police cell last week, and is that what we can expect to see more of under a Minister of Health whose priority is hospital-based services?
Dr Paul Hutchison Link to this
What were the priorities set out in the Minister’s letter of expectations?
For many New Zealanders, confidence in the New Zealand public health system over recent years has been damaged because of excessive waiting-times and delays. The new Government has elevated dealing with this crisis. The new Government expects district health boards to improve elective surgery volumes, to improve emergency department waiting-times, and to improve cancer treatment waiting-times. We also expect them to help us deal with the workforce crisis by improving staff retention and fostering clinical leadership.
Was a spell in a police cell what he had in mind when he said “We want to streamline service delivery for people with disabilities.”; if not, what is he going to do for that young woman?
Both the Prime Minister and I have said that that level of service was unacceptable. The Ministry of Health is working with that district health board to ensure that the situation does not happen again.
Will this Minister be answering any primary health questions this term, including the one I asked him yesterday about cash-strapped patients putting off having cancer check-ups by their general practitioner, or is he still happy to let the market decide general practice fees?
It does concern me that people who may have skin cancer would not go to their general practitioner clinic to have it checked. I expect the district health boards to work with their primary health organisations to address this issue. I can advise the member that general practitioner subsidies will increase this year by more than they did last year, under her Government.