2. Health Services—Elective SurgeryHon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of HealthHealth Services—Elective Surgery2. Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: What was the total percentage growth in hip and knee joint elective discharges between 2002/03 and 2008/09 and what was the same figure for 2009/10 to 2015/16?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): Ninety-one and 24 but remember Labour was not in Government for nearly all of 2008-09 when National came in and set a new target for lifting surgeries. The figures that are really relevant are that although Labour did an extra 10000 electives per year over its time this Government is doing an extra 53000 operations per year. That is over five times the annual increase achieved by the previous Labour Government.Hon Annette King: In light of that answer why is he trying to hide the fact that there was a 91 percent increase in hip and knee joint surgery undertaken between 2002 and 2008—and that was a Labour Budget not a National Budget—and only a 24 percent increase in the 7 years between 2009 and 2016 under this Government even though the population increased and aged?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I am not trying to hide it at all but I think it is interesting that Mrs King has chosen one of two areas where she managed to deliver any sort of an increase. So listen to this: general surgery under Mrs King down; heart surgery under Mrs King down; ear nose and throat surgery under Mrs King down; gynaecological operations under Mrs King down; and paediatric surgery plastics and burns urology and vascular surgery under Mrs King—all fewer operations.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister was quoting from an official document. Would he like to table it please?Mr SPEAKER: That is easily resolved. Was the Minister quoting from an official document; if so could he table it? Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No I will not be tabling that sorry. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order!Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No actually I am happy to table it.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: When he claims more elective surgery than ever why does he not tell the people waiting for hip and knee operations in the Hutt Valley MidCentral Northland South Canterbury Tai Rāwhiti Waikato and Wanganui district health boards that they did fewer operations in 2015-16 than in 2014-15?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Quite frankly overall there has been a 30 percent lift in hip and knee operations under this Government. That is the fact of it. But I would also tell them that when Mrs King left office there were 33000 people waiting over 6 months for appointments or treatment. Today there is pretty much zero waiting over 6 months.Simon O'Connor: Can the Minister confirm further to the primary question's reference to a previous administration that the number of elective surgeries was actually cut from 107880 in 2000-01 to 105600 in 2005-06 a cut of 2218—Mr SPEAKER: Order! No this is a question that I think is designed to do nothing else but to attack an Opposition party.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have a point of order which I will address first.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: The primary question posed by Mrs King refers to her time as the Minister of Health. It refers to the period when Labour was in Government so I think that opens it up for questions on that period. That is just logical.Mr SPEAKER: The Minister may well think that but we are still not going to have questions that are designed to do nothing else but attack an Opposition party.Hon Annette King: Is Professor David Gwynne-Jones correct in his research published in April 2016 which shows that people receiving hip and knee surgery under this Government are more severely disabled than they were previously?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I would have to go and read that research because I would not be surprised if Mrs King is selectively lifting conclusions from it.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table the article which is in the New Zealand Medical Journal from April this year and in which that is exactly what he said.Mr SPEAKER: On the basis that the medical journal is not often available to members I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular article. Is there any objection? There is not. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Does he think that at some point in the future there may be a realistic challenge to his excellent management of the health portfolio by a futuristic look at the health sector from the Labour Party?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I do not know but what I can say is that the historical look does not look very good at all. When you look at the Dominion Post from September 2005 it said that it was just unbelievable that you could put so much extra money into the health system but make it worse.Simon O'Connor: What reports has he seen around the number of elective surgeries between 2001 and 2006?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I have seen a range of reports but the key figure is that the Minister in charge at that time managed to deliver unbelievably 2000 fewer operations and 7000 fewer appointments despite having an extra $3 billion in the Budget. Quite frankly I do not know how you could possibly do that but someone managed it.Hon Annette King: Why—[Interruption] Who said that?Mr SPEAKER: Order! I do not need assistance from the Government whip.Hon Annette King: Why has there been a big increase in acute hip and knee operations—in other words people needing urgent treatment that cannot wait—which has almost doubled under this Government and are doctors correct when they called him Dr Who" in a doctor's magazine?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Acute surgery actually shows that people are getting their operations sooner. Basically they get the injury and then they have the operation. It is a far cry from when Mrs King was the Minister when 33000 people were waiting for more than 6 months and then of course Pete Hodgson had to just cull them off the list altogether. Today there are zero waiting more than 6 months because they are actually getting their operations unlike when that person was the Minister.Hon Annette King: I thought we were forward-looking.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can I have the supplementary question.Hon Annette King: Yes. What action is he taking on hearing comments from Waikato District Health Board that "staff across the organisation were under pressure to deliver targets and yet the district health board's own reports showed it was financially under-resourced."?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Well the first report we got on that was an anonymous phone call to my office. So the immediate action we took was to google the number which turned out be the Wellington office of the Labour Party.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is against the Standing Orders for any member to stand in this House and say that sort of thing without proving it. I want—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! [Interruption] No. Order! The member asked a question about what action the Minister took. The Minister—[Interruption] Order! The Minister gave an answer to the action he took. If in any way the member now feels she has been misrepresented then the place for that is to refer to Standing Order 359.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: I will hear the point of order but if it is in regards to the matter I have just—Hon Annette King: No what I wanted to say was that in your summary of the member's answer you said "the action he took". What he said was—it was not the action. He said he received anonymous information that came from the Labour Party.Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member is now trifling with the Chair. I have dealt with the point of order. The member may well debate the answer that was given and if she feels strongly enough about an issue of potential misrepresentation I have given her guidance on what to do. But it is not about continuing points of order in this House on that matter. Question No. 3—[Interruption] Order! [Interruption] Order! If the member wishes to proceed for a further conversation in the lobbies with the Minister she is more than welcome. In the meantime I am calling Todd Muller question No. 3."