﻿Mr SPEAKER: Question No 4, Hon Annette King.
Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour)
to the Minister of Health: Does he agree with Professor Max Abbott who said,
"Ten DHBs are in financial strife despite big moves to increase efficiency
"and extend services the best they can. I think it does suggest that more funding
"is required to health generally and also mental health"; if not,
who is out of touch, Professor Abbot or him?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health):
The only person who might be out of touch is any former Minister
in a Government that ran up $160 million of deficits in 17 district health boards (DHBs)
who now complains that a greatly reduced deficit of $60 million is out of control.
As the member knows, health has remained the Government's No. 1 funding priority.
That is why we have invested an extra $2.2 billion in health over the next 4 years
for new initiatives and to meet cost pressures and population growth.
This Government has also increased mental health and addiction services funding
from $1.1 billion to over $1.4 billion.
Hon Annette King: If Professor Abbott is wrong and half our DHBs are not
in financial strife, how does he account for the Royal Australian
and NZ College of Ophthalmologists' comments that all DHBs have a significant
backlog of patients needing follow-up eye appointments, with as many as 7,000
in one DHB alone and—
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I remind the member that questions need to be concise.
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Obviously, in ophthalmology there are one or two DHBs
that need to lift their game, but you have got to place that against the background
of greatly increasing demands. So, in terms of injections for glaucoma,
the demand for those injections, because we have got this new technology,
has increased by three to five times. But the background is that in ophthalmology
we are doing a 100% uplift in operations and appointments
compared with a number of years ago. So it is actually pretty good.
Hon Annette King: Can he confirm that the college had asked him
for more resources for public hospital eye clinics, for training specialist nurses,
and for more ophthalmologists in March 2015; if so, what action has he taken
to address the disgraceful situation of Kiwis losing their sight
through poor ministerial oversight?
Mr SPEAKER: Either of those two supplementary questions.
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I have not met a group of doctors in the whole time
I have been involved with healthcare that has not wanted more resources.
That is how it goes. But that letter I had from the ophthalmologists actually
was focused more on them wanting more decision-making rights
over prioritising patients. So there were a range of issues they were discussing.
But, of course, people want more resources all the time, and the answer to that
is there has actually been an extra $4.2 billion that has gone into
the health sector over the last 8 years.
Hon Annette King: Did the Health and Disability Commissioner advise him
that he had been made aware of the serious situation and unacceptable delays
in eye treatment in the Southern DHB in mid-2015; if not, when did he
become aware of the problem?
Mr SPEAKER: Again, either of those two supplementary questions.
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I would have to check my notes.
Hon Annette King: Why did he require $10 million in efficiencies
from Southern DHB in 2015-16 when it was running a $34 million deficit,
was unable to treat serious eye conditions in a timely manner,
and was struggling to keep up with orthopaedic surgery and doing fewer
elective operations in 2015-16 than in 2008-09 under a Labour Budget?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Look, the case of Southern DHB has been well canvassed.
As you know, we sacked the DHB last year—a $42 million deficit
down to $35 million this year and it is improving with a sustainable plan.
Hon Annette King: Why is he refusing to front up and be interviewed
on the disastrous neglect of eye treatment around NZ—something the college
did tell him about in March 2015, 18 months ago?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Well, look, that is just completely incorrect.
I have answered a number of questions from the media on that. I did a stand up
outside in the lobby yesterday. So the member is actually
misleading the House on that one.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.
I take exception to that, and I could table, from Radio NZ, the refusal
by that Minister to go on.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! Speaker's ruling 47/4
is quite clear that you cannot say that another member is making things up.
So I require Jonathan Coleman to stand and withdraw
the last part of his answer.
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I withdraw and apologise.
Mr SPEAKER: Question No 5.
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