8. Hon PETE HODGSON (Labour—Dunedin North) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
Does he think neurosurgery services should be retained at Dunedin Hospital?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Associate Minister of Health) Link to this
The Minister would take a lot of convincing that there should not be neurosurgical services in Dunedin.
Would he be prepared to turn his feelings into a guarantee now that neurosurgical services in Dunedin will be retained?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN Link to this
That member knows that the Director-General of Health has convened an expert panel to address this issue. The Minister will not prejudge the result of that inquiry.
Why did he shovel this issue on to his officials, who shovelled it on to a committee that does not yet even have terms of reference, instead of taking some action—any action—himself?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN Link to this
I would remind that member that under his morbid tenure as Minister of Health 30,000 New Zealanders were removed from elective surgery waiting lists. He well knows that the Director-General of Health has convened an expert panel that is addressing this issue and it will report back in November.
Hon Darren Hughes Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I have two points to make. First of all, the gratuitous comment at the beginning of that answer I do not think added to it. The member Pete Hodgson was asking a question about something in his electorate. This is a good example of a local member doing his or her job at question time. The second point is whether that answer went any way towards addressing or answering the points Mr Hodgson was seeking.
Mr SPEAKERI think the point of order is valid in that the questioner did ask why the investigation was being carried out. He took a roundabout way to get there, and some gratuitousness—I do not know whether that is the right way of putting it—in an answer is not unexpected when the shape of the question is quite the way that that one was. But the intent of the question was to ask why the inquiry is being conducted in the way that it is. Maybe the Minister could please answer the question in that light—why the Director-General of Health is conducting the inquiry, if the Minister has that information.
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN Link to this
Because he was asked to by the chief executives of the South Island district health boards.
Can he confirm that high-quality neurosurgical services have been provided in Dunedin since before he was born, and why does he not now offer a straightforward guarantee that that proud history will continue?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN Link to this
The Minister can confirm that Dunedin has had a high-quality service. But, once again, he is not prepared to prejudge the results of the inquiry.
Does he not consider that from time to time a Minister must step in—that is why we have Ministers in the first place—and that in this case that time has long and truly passed? When will he do anything—anything—to resolve this issue?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN Link to this
That member would usually be the first to complain if a Minister overrode an official. But there is a perfectly satisfactory path to resolving this situation, and, once again, the Minister will not pre-empt the results of that inquiry.
I seek leave to table a number of documents. The first is the results of a poll carried out by the Otago Daily Times showing that a 97 percent—
Secondly, I seek leave to table a Facebook page that just under 10,000 people signed up to in a few days, regarding—
The third document is a little more readily accessible, but when you make judgment on it, Mr Speaker, please consider that it is very, very funny. I seek leave to table today’s Southland Times cartoon.