﻿Mr SPEAKER: Question No 4, Hon Annette King.
Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour)
to the Minister of Health: Does he agree with the findings
of the recent TNS survey showing about 174,000 NZers
are in need of publicly funded surgery,
but have not been placed on a waiting list; if not, why not?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): No.
The telephone survey by the health insurance industry
of people’s perceptions of what they need is not the same
as being medically assessed as being in need. Over 7 years,
this Government has lifted the number of specialist appointments
by 25% and the number of operations by 41%.
The only answer to increasing demand is to do more, and we are.
Hon Annette King: In light of that answer,
why does he dismiss the TNS NZ survey showing 174,000 people
are blocked from elective surgery
as just the Health Funds Association of NZ
trying to “drum up business”,
when his Ministry used the same global research company
to carry out research for the Government. Was that research shonky?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Why I do not agree with them
is because we now have literally a handful of people
waiting over 6 months for surgery—unlike 8 years ago
when there were 30,000 people waiting for over 6 months for surgery—
and only 2,000 waiting for over 4 months. It is very different
to 8 years ago when $3 billion extra went into the Budget
to deliver 2,000 fewer operations and 7,000 fewer appointments—
under Mrs King, of course.
Hon Annette King: Having had time to read the research
published last week in the NZ Medical Journal,
does he agree with the findings that patients currently
being returned to their GP without an operation
would have qualified for publicly funded surgery
during the 2006-10 period; if not, why not?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: They may or may not have—
I mean, there are different surgical thresholds around NZ.
All we do know is that back in the period that the member mentioned,
31,000 people were kicked off surgical waiting lists by her.
Hon Annette King: If he has read the research published
in the NZ Medical Journal on 1 April, will he now correct
his Associate Minister’s answer from last week
that hip and knee operations were up by 10%
for the Southern District Health Board, when the latest figures show
that there has been nearly a 10% decrease—decrease—since 2011?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No. I dispute Mrs King’s figures
and I am not going to correct the Associate Minister’s answer.
I think that he did a really good job in showing you up, actually.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order!
The Minister should not bring the Speaker into the debate.
Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table an Official Information Act request
delivered on 7 April 2016 by the Ministry of Health
for the Southern District Health Board, showing a 10% decrease.
Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that particular information.
Is there any objection?
There is none. It can be tabled.
Hon Annette King: When he said today that “there’s a difference
"between surgery people actually need, and surgery people think they need.”,
does he really believe that people wake up in the morning
and think: “I’d like to have an operation today.
"I feel like going under the knife. My pain is just phantom pain.
"I fancy one of those—"
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Bring the question to a conclusion.
Hon Annette King: "—hospital meals that the Minister tried.”?
[MEMBERS LAUGH AND APPLAUD]
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Firstly, I am very glad to hear
that the member is following my interviews on 1ZB so closely.
I notice that she actually had the opportunity
to try one of those hospital meals yesterday in Dunedin,
but I guess the crisis talks were so intense that there was
no opportunity to go and front up and do what she challenged me to do.
I did, and it was a very good meal. Why do you not
man up and do it yourself, because you think you are so tough?
Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.
It is impossible for me to “man up”—I am a woman.
Mr SPEAKER: And a very capable one, as well. [Interruption]
[MEMBERS INTERJECT]
Order! We return now to question time.
Question No 5.
Subtitles by the Amara.org community