Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:644;Page:13585] 
3.  
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Why are his officials part of a “secret razor gang” advising the Capital and Coast District Health Board to slash the jobs of up to 50 doctors? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Far from it. I am advised that four officials from the Ministry of Health have participated at the request of the district health board in a joint project to provide future funding sustainability. I am also advised that the report which I am yet to consider does not recommend cutting doctor numbers. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: When the Minister yesterday paid tribute to the “hard-working and competent staff of the Capital and Coast District Health Board who are continuing to do their best for the people of Wellington” was he including the 50 doctors who his officials believe should be sacked from the district health board because they are surplus to requirements? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: The presumption of the member’s question is incorrect. Rather than reading from yesterday’s newspaper I refer to another report in a similar vein which states: “there is little pressure on public hospitals to focus on value for money. The funder arms of DHBs consider their hospital providers as monopolies and make few demands for improved performance.” It goes on to recommend that they “Reduce duplication and waste. … Foster regional workforce approaches; Ensure strategic decision-making on investment. … Allow more impartiality in selecting alternative providers.” Those sentiments come from the National Party discussion document on health. 
Jill Pettis 
: Could the Minister please further advise the House of what action will be taken on the report? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: Although the report was considered yesterday by the current board I am advised that no decisions will be taken until it is considered by the incoming governance arrangements. There are of course a wide range of inputs to be so considered. 
Barbara Stewart 
: Does he think it is acceptable that the people served by the Capital and Coast District Health Board will be further penalised by the consequences of bad financial planning—that is the blowout in the deficit caused by the construction of the new regional hospital which was Government approved—if so why? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: I share the determination that is implicit in that question that the people of Wellington shall have first-class sustainably funded health services and I understand that that was the purpose of the study to which the primary question refers. 
Heather Roy 
: Why is this Minister contemplating a razor gang at the Capital and Coast District Health Board when in the past year one patient from Wairarapa Hospital five patients from Palmerston North two patients from Wanganui three patients from Hawke’s Bay and three patients from Hutt Hospital have died after their tertiary surgery at Wellington Hospital was cancelled and they were sent back to their district health boards because they were too sick to go home; and has he been advised of any of these unnecessary deaths? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: The member makes a serious allegation and I remind her that the appropriate process would be to transmit any details surrounding individual case matters to me either separately or in a primary question. 
Heather Roy 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I asked a very specific question and I realise the seriousness of what I am asking. My question to the Minister was firstly why he was contemplating a razor gang then whether he had been advised of any of these unnecessary deaths. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: There were two questions. Normally only one question in a supplementary question is required to be addressed. But if the Minister wishes to address the question he may. The first part was not addressed. 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: In the first place there is no razor gang and in the second place it is impossible for me to answer the second question if I do not know the cases to which the member refers. 
Barbara Stewart 
: Can he assure all New Zealanders that health planning will not be formulated on an ad hoc basis resulting from knee-jerk responses to local financial and staff shortage crisis situations as appears to be the case with the Capital and Coast District Health Board; if not why not? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: That is indeed an important question and I note that one of the objectives of the sustainable health study that the member refers to was to identify variations between the Capital and Coast District Health Board and other better-performing district health boards around the country. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Does he agree with Judith Aitken the Chair of the Capital and Coast District Health Board who said in September this year in full knowledge of the damning reports about that district health board’s performance that the Capital and Coast District Health Board is poised to become the country’s “very best and most successful” district health board? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: It is pretty hard for me to tell the context of comments from a time before I took office. But what I would say is that the Government is investing hugely in building a state-of-the-art new regional hospital on the Wellington site and alongside that clinicians managers and the new governance arrangements will be doing their best to ensure that Wellingtonians receive a first-class service. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Is the Minister aware that since the year 2000 the Capital and Coast District Health Board has established 64 new management positions but has hired only 59 new doctors and that now it wants to get rid of 50 of them? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: I suspect that that data is debatable but a previous question referred to overruns on the construction project. Presumably it is useful to have project managers. 
Dr Jackie Blue 
: Can the women of Wellington now expect to have their babies delivered by “Dennis from Accounts”? [ 
Interruption 
] 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Members are entitled to hear the answer. 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: I think in the first instance it is important to rebut again the presumption that there will be any cuts to medical staffing on which no decisions have been made and secondly to note that the question is unworthy of somebody who has dedicated much of her life to improving women’s health. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: I seek leave to table in order to show that the Capital and Coast District Health Board has employed more managers than doctors in the last 8 years and intends to sack 50 of them answers to questions for written answer and information— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: I seek leave to table the National Party’s discussion document on health. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: When the Minister answered in the House today that the sustainable health services review does not say that doctors’ jobs should be cut was he saying that the review does not identify a number of doctor positions surplus to those that might be at other hospitals? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: I believe that the difference here is between identifying variation between a current staff complement and output level and national district health board norms and recommending specific cuts—on which no decisions have been or can be made.