7. Health Services—Access Demand and FundingDr DAVID CLARK (Labour—Dunedin North) to the Minister of HealthHealth Services—Access Demand and Funding7. Dr DAVID CLARK (Labour—Dunedin North) to the Minister of Health: Why did he say yesterday in the House I do not need to check with DHBs around that" when asked if he was sure about his claim that every other district health board is currently "managing to deliver the operations that are needed"?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): As I said in the House yesterday I do not need to check with district health boards (DHBs) around that because it is a fact that we are delivering 50000 more operations than 8 years ago.Dr David Clark: What assurance will he give that IT glitches like the one that stopped medical professionals accessing patient letters this morning at Counties Manukau for 2½ hours are not impacting on delivering the operations that are needed?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: That sounds deeply operational. I am surprised that at this time of the political cycle the member is not trying to raise his game to a more strategic and political level but be that as it may; I will go back and ask a question about that. At the same time I will be able to assure him that there is an extra $470 million of money that has gone into Counties Manukau as well as a lift of 4500 operations at Counties Manukau an increase of 34 percent compared with 8 years ago when that crowd was running the system.Dr David Clark: I seek leave to table a message to Counties Manukau DHB staff relating to clinical letters being unavailable to medical staff for 2½ hours due to an IT glitch this morning—to help the Minister out.Mr SPEAKER: I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular letter to staff. Is there any objection to it being tabled? There is not. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Dr David Clark: Does he believe there are enough hospital beds for patients to meet demand pressures when at the beginning of August 2 weeks ago Middlemore Hospital was at 116 percent full capacity in medical surgical adult rehabilitation and health of older people wards with 358 patients going through the emergency department in one day and 52 patients left sitting waiting for an in-patient bed?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Of course history shows I always have to check that member's numbers but be that as it may of course winter is a busy time in our hospitals. It has been an especially vicious flu season despite 1 million vaccines being distributed but the member will be really pleased to know that actually we do have the capacity in our DHBs to absorb this sort of situation.Dr David Clark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I will assist the Minister again. Actually one of them was 128 percent over and I have the—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! If the member is now seeking to raise a point of order then he does it. What is the point of order?Dr David Clark: I seek leave to table an internal email detailing just how overfull the Middlemore Hospital was.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table this particular internal email. Is there any objection to it being tabled? There is not; it can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Dr David Clark: After 9 years in Government what is he doing about the fact that the most recent figures show that once eye injections skin lesion removals and other quick operations traditionally done outside the hospital setting are removed from elective surgery figures year on year fewer elective surgeries were being done in Counties Manukau?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I find that extremely doubtful. I am not sure where the member is going with this line of questioning. These are very important operations. If he removed every important operation they were doing at Counties Manukau none would be being done. Across the system as a whole even if you removed these very important eye injections and skin operations some of which have to be done under general anaesthetic we are still doing 30000 more operations per year than when that crowd was managing it.Dr David Clark: After 9 years how much longer will people have to wait when he says "[T]here is no doubt that in health there is always more to do." when all the wards in one of our largest hospitals in New Zealand are fully staffed and are in need of close to 70 extra beds before patients arrive each day?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I think the member needs to just reread his question in his mind because frankly the whole thing just does not make sense but despite that what I would say is that 9 years on across the hundreds of services that our health system provides you would struggle to find more than a handful that are not performing better than 9 years ago. There are 50000 more operations 150000 more appointments and 7000 more doctors and nurses in the system and yes maybe from time to time the IT system might go down for 2 hours at Counties Manukau. If he thinks that is bad he should try the IT system in Parliament for comparison.Dr David Clark: After 9 years what does he say to clinicians across the country who are pleading for their hospitals to be given more operating theatres more specialist doctors and more funding; and is this the "health system that's the envy of the world" that he envisaged?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: The member needs to start becoming a bit more positive about New Zealand and our health system because actually it stacks up pretty well. I can tell you that if you look at the facilities we have built in health across the country—$1 billion of health rebuilds in Christchurch West Coast is being done Dunedin is next 6900 more doctors and nurses in our hospital system 50000 more operations and 150000 more specialist assessments. What I would say to those specialist doctors is that if this guy was ever running the health system they would be in really big trouble.Mr SPEAKER: Order! We do not need to go there."