3. Dr JACKIE BLUE (National) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
What initiatives have been undertaken to tackle rheumatic fever in New Zealand?
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) Link to this
In this year’s Budget Mrs Turia announced that we are investing $12 million over 4 years to reduce rheumatic fever in vulnerable communities around the nation. This will involve up to 22,000 children in high-risk areas. Prevention programmes focused on this Third World disease are already under way in a number of vulnerable communities. In Flaxmere, for example, there have been no more cases since its programme began last year, and at the recent programme launch at Makaurau Marae in South Auckland it was announced that it will be the first place in New Zealand where children can turn up without an appointment and be tested and diagnosed within minutes in a new rapid diagnosis test.
The previous Government boasted in 2001 that rheumatic fever was a priority, but nothing happened except that more kids got it. This Government takes rheumatic fever seriously. A sore throat can lead to permanent and quite serious heart damage, and it is crucial that we tackle this preventable disease head-on. Continuing and contributing to our other prevention work in this area is the Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme, whereby 100,000 homes were retrofitted as of 1 March this year.
Grant RobertsonDoes the Minister accept that overcrowded housing is one of the main issues with rheumatic fever in New Zealand, and how does the Government cutting funding for State housing help that?
What I can advise is when it comes to housing as a contributing factor, certainly the temperature of houses has been found to be a contributing factor and that is one of the reasons why we have the Heat Smart campaign. On the issue of overcrowding, I think the Minister of Housing has done a superb job in the work he has done in tidying up the very poor state of public housing that he inherited from that failed party opposite.
Rahui KateneIs he aware of the particularly high rates of rheumatic fever in Northland, and what response has he received from people in Northland to the announcement by Māori Party co-leader Tariana Turia of the $12 million invested in eliminating rheumatic fever in high-risk areas?
Yes. I am aware of two particularly positive responses to the announcement by Minister Turia. Both are from Northland general practitioners who say they are delighted by the $12 million boost, and that Mrs Turia should take a bow for championing the cause for more resources. As the member knows, Northland is one of our most vulnerable and high-risk areas in terms of this particular issue, and the new funding will provide a much needed boost in their fight against rheumatic fever and complement the work that is already under way.