4. GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does he have confidence in his Minister of Health?
Rt Hon JOHN KEYWhy does he have confidence in the Minister when Alma Costall, a 94-year-old Auckland woman with a community services card, was charged $80 to attend an after-hours clinic on Good Friday?
The matter of what is charged in after-hours clinics is in part controlled by district health boards. But I say to the member that that is not a new issue. It is one that the Minister recognises, and he has been funding district health boards considerably more to address that issue.
What does he consider is an acceptable charge for a 94-year-old woman with a community services card to be charged at an after-hours clinic?
Is the Prime Minister saying that $80 is affordable for a 94-year-old woman to be charged at an after-hours clinic?
Why does he have confidence in a Minister who is reviewing the programme that sees health services delivered in decile 1 and 2 schools when it was the subject of a positive review less than 2 years ago?
I have confidence in that Minister because he is the Minister who is committed to protecting and growing the public health service. He is the Minister who has invested $1.2 billion more in health in time. He is the Minister who has ensured that 20,000 more people each year are receiving elective surgery, or 400 more per week. He is the Minister who has ensured that cancer patients in New Zealand are now receiving treatment within 4 weeks. He is the Minister who has made sure that there are 1,000 extra nurses and 500 more doctors. He is the Minister who has made sure that children are now being immunised at greater rates. He is the Minister who has done tremendous work—
Mr SPEAKERReferring to the Prime Minister’s earlier supplementary answers, is the Prime Minister saying that it was affordable for Alma Costall, a 94-year-old Auckland woman, to pay $80 to attend an after-hours clinic on Good Friday?