5. Hon TAU HENARE (National) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
What projects has the Government approved to ensure greater access to elective surgery in greater Auckland?
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) Link to this
More good news. Today the Government has announced approval of a $37 million state-of-the-art elective surgery centre at North Shore Hospital. All of the international evidence points to separating urgent and elective surgery as the best way to lift productivity and treat more patients sooner. The new centre, due for completion next year, will have 40 beds, four operating theatres, and be staffed by a team of 80 clinicians. It will be one of the most medically advanced centres in the country and will provide better access to surgery for the people of greater Auckland.
The new elective centre comes hot on the heels of the Lakeview development at North Shore Hospital, which is a 50-bed assessment and diagnostic unit, and of a new emergency department for finalisation in October. This is in addition to the $9.2 million North Shore dialysis centre, which opened last month and provides in-centre renal dialysis for people with kidney failure. The emergency department at Waitakere Hospital is now open 24/7, which is something that the previous Government promised for successive elections and even with the local MP as the Minister of Health could never deliver.
Grant RobertsonWill the Minister now correct his statement to the House in June that only 2 to 3 percent of patients waiting for access to elective services are treated after 6 months, when the Auditor-General’s report shows that the figure is in fact 10 percent?
More good news. There are fewer and fewer people waiting more than 6 months. The results of the Auditor-General’s report have been quoted by the member, but I can tell the House that when the elective performance comes out in the elective target report in the next few weeks, New Zealanders will be stunned at the performance of the New Zealand public health service.
Does the Minister dispute figure 7 of the Auditor-General’s report, which shows that the number of patients waiting longer than 6 months for access to elective surgery increased in both 2009 and 2010; if so, why?
What is in the Auditor-General’s report is obviously what is in the Auditor-General’s report. But I can say the number of people waiting longer than 6 months is lower than it was under the previous regime, and we have not culled 30,000 people off waiting lists to try to deal with it.
At the risk of testing your patience, Mr Speaker, but given the Minister’s answer to that question, I seek leave to table figure 7 of the Auditor-General’s report, which shows that people waiting for elective surgery—
Mr SPEAKER
Hon Craig FossI raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Just regarding the previous point of order, the member over there who was speaking watched you stand and kept on talking. You said the member should finish, or something along those lines. He tried to, and did, get his last words in whilst you were on your feet, Mr Speaker.
All I can do is to ask all members please to respect the traditional practice in this place that when the Speaker gets to his feet, members desist. A member left the Chamber yesterday for failing to do so, and I do not want a repeat of that. I ask all members to please respect that.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I would just like to compliment you on that ruling.