1. Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Hunua) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
Does he still stand by his policy to deliver better, sooner, and more convenient health care?
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) Link to this
Despite the fact that the Labour Government left the new Government with around $160 million of unfunded services to fill and quietly stripped $150 million out of Vote Health before the general election, yes.
Hon Rodney HideI raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am sorry to interrupt, but I am just across from the Minister of Health and I could not hear a word of that answer, because of the barracking. It is the very first question of the day. I think it is a courtesy to members that they should be able to hear the question and the answer.
Mr SPEAKERI concur with the honourable member. He makes a perfectly fair point of order. With the House being in urgency, of course, we go straight into question time, as was agreed by the Business Committee. The House would do well to settle down. In fairness, the Minister actually said yes, in answer to that question.
Dr Paul Hutchison Link to this
What reports has he received in relation to more New Zealanders getting much-needed elective surgery?
I have received reports that from the year 2000 to 2007-08 the average increase in elective surgery discharges was 1,432, which did not even keep up with population growth. The new Government set the goal of nearly trebling this average increase to 4,000 a year—a goal that was well and truly exceeded, with record discharges in the past year. Meeting the continuing growth of elective surgery is a real challenge. However, even with the effects of the swine flu, I can advise the member today that the number of patients getting much-needed elective surgery in New Zealand has reached yet another all-time high: our public health service has delivered elective surgery to an unprecedented 34,000 patients in the past quarter.
Hon Ruth DysonWhat does he say to the people who will not figure in the district health boards’ league tables, such as the 5,000 people in Timaru who have had their access to the emergency department cut, so they will not be on the league tables because they will not even get through the door of the hospital?
There has been no cutting of access to the emergency department at Timaru. I visited there recently, and the doors were still wide open. What I can tell the member is that emergency departments throughout New Zealand are working with their comrades and colleagues in the wards to improve service for New Zealanders, and really good progress is being made.
Why did the Minister not include a list of front-line health services and front-line staff in his league tables; was it because we have already seen cuts in both front-line health services and front-line health workers, or is it because it shows that the tens of thousands of dollars he has spent on publicity is just wasted health money?
I cannot comment on any specific case that the member might have raised in that question, because she did not do so. But I can tell the House that the latest information from the Ministry of Health is that there are actually more front-line doctors and front-line nurses working in our public hospitals than at any other time under a Labour Government.
Dr Russel NormanWould an extra $110 billion in health funding over the next 40 years help the Minister to deliver better, sooner, and more convenient health care?
I can advise the member that I am currently in discussions with the Minister of Finance about the budget we need for the health sector next year, and that is not a figure I have yet promoted.
Dr Paul Hutchison Link to this
Which particular specialties have contributed to the record number of patients benefiting from elective surgery in this period?
That is from the crowd that cut 30,000 patients off waiting lists, then stood up and said they had them under control. In the 3 months to the end of September, a record number of patients have received ear, nose, and throat surgery, general surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, plastics and burns surgery, and vascular surgery. These results really are a tribute to the work of our doctors and nurses in district health boards in responding to the Government’s very clear expectations of better services for New Zealanders.
With regard to his discussions with the Minister of Finance about funding for health in future years, has the Minister of Finance raised any concerns about the level of debt the Government is building up, and may build up over the next 40 years, and will that have a negative impact on the level of funding for health care?
In those discussions with the Minister of Finance, our concern really has been very much focused on the inheritance that we received from the previous Government, and on the fact that we inherited a health service on a track to financial crisis, with significant deficits. We are working very closely to try to fill those unfunded services that we inherited from the previous Government, and the $150 million that Labour quietly cut from the health budget only days before the general election.