4. Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) 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 facts that this Government inherited $160 million of unfunded services to fill, and that the previous Government quietly stripped $150 million out of Vote Health just before the election, yes.
How can the Minister stand by that slogan, when he has gutted the funding for Healthy Eating - Healthy Action to the point that the flourishing trend of children planting and tending vegetable gardens at school is now going to end?
The Government has not gutted the funding for Healthy Eating - Healthy Action. What we are doing is bringing a greater balance to addressing those issues.
How can the Minister stand by that slogan, when the funding for health and physical education learning for primary school teachers will end from this year?
I think that matter is beyond the responsibility of the Minister of Health. What I can tell members is that this Government is putting $20 million into the KiwiSport programme, which is all about getting more and more kids involved in physical activity. Our kids are becoming less physically active than they were 15 or 20 years ago.
Dr Jackie BlueQuite a lot of progress is being made to deliver better services for New Zealand. This week we have announced another step that we will take to improve district health board collaboration. Over the next 15 months we will make more cross-appointments over district health boards. This will support clinical cooperation across district health board boundaries, improve financial expertise on boards that are grappling to fill the $160 million of unfunded services that the Government inherited, and help to inform boards of the challenges and opportunities of their close neighbours.
Su’a William SioHow can the Minister stand by that slogan, when Pacific communities in the Counties Manukau District Health Board area experience a life expectancy five times worse than that of non - Pacific people where chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity are prevalent, yet he did not once consult his colleague the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs before slashing Pacific health services in Budget 2009?
First of all, that member would be very hard-pressed to justify the claim that services were slashed in this year’s Budget, because we put an extra $536 million into district health boards, including an astonishing $65 million of extra funding into the Counties Manukau District Health Board. That is a 7 percent increase.
I seek leave to table a letter from the Hon Georgina te Heuheu dated 10 August, showing that there was no consultation at all with the Minister of Health about budget cuts to Pacific health services.
Mr SPEAKERI seek leave to table an article from the New Zealand Herald reporting the Public Health Association’s concern that the vegetable gardens in schools programme is ending soon.
Leave is sought to table an article from the New Zealand Herald of 4 September. Is there any objection? There is.
I seek leave to table an article from the Otago Daily Times expressing concern—
—dated 9 September this year—expressing concern from the Otago Primary Principals’ Association president—