Ryall Tony: General Debate 
Ryall Tony: General Debate 
[Volume:666;Page:13985] 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
: 
 I move  
That the House take note of miscellaneous business 
. 
I am sure Ministers on this side of the House and members opposite would want to join me in thanking the public services of Canterbury for the effort they have made over the last 2 weeks in support of the people of Christchurch and Canterbury. The effort has been tremendous and I know that Ministers and members from all sides of the House have been impressed with the commitment and the dedication of so many people who while themselves suffering damage and problems were available to help their fellow citizens in the region over the time of the quake. Even today Ministers are in Canterbury working with organisations in order to assist the recovery there and as members are aware the House passed important urgent legislation yesterday that will enable a quicker response to the demands of the people of Christchurch and Canterbury. 
Regarding public health I can say that the hospital services in Christchurch are now up to speed and operating as usual. Elective surgery which was stopped at the time of the earthquake has recommenced in Christchurch today. The general practitioner surgeries and pharmacies are fully functional. The neonatal intensive care unit remains at capacity—one of the points to note from the earthquake is that a lot more babies have been born than normal at this time of year—and boil-water notices remain in Kaiapoi Kairaki and Pines Beach. 
I have to say that when I visited Christchurch Hospital the sense of calm and the determination of all the staff to provide services for the people of Christchurch were very impressive. The public health service has responded strongly to support the effort in Christchurch and Canterbury. About 60 or so staff have flown or otherwise travelled from other district health board areas in order to support the Canterbury District Health Board in its efforts. 
We should not just look at the tremendous work that the hospital services have done but also acknowledge the amazing effort of the general practice and pharmacy community in Christchurch. Within days just about every general practice in Christchurch was up and running supported by all but about two or three pharmacies which were badly damaged and providing a good-quality service for the people of the region. I visited the Pegasus Health people in Christchurch. Within minutes of daylight in Christchurch people from the general practice level were lined up and ready to help and that was repeated right across the public health services in the city. 
A large number of rest home residents from a couple of homes have had to be moved to other places. I visited one of those rest homes in Avonside in Christchurch. It would be fair to say the owners of the rest home felt for the many residents who had to move. These people had spent some time in the rest home had all their friends there and that was where they had made their lives. Having to move was very disruptive to those older folk. But what is absolutely clear is that right across Canterbury there has been strong support from the hospitals the general practice community the pharmacies and the community nursing service. People have received a really good service. 
The challenge hereon in is to provide support for the people of Christchurch and Canterbury as they deal with the aftermath. A whole lot of non-governmental organisations and other health providers are out providing counselling and support and are available for the people of Canterbury who have any problems issues or concerns they may want to raise. There are still a number of areas where there is pressure on the health services. Fortunately all our other facilities have reopened including Lincoln Maternity Hospital and the Burwood Birthing Unit. The ambulance services also need significant acknowledgment for the work they have done. The presence in the welfare centres was spectacular and it will cease at noon today when those things change. We have learnt an awful lot about how those services can be improved. 
Ministers and members opposite would want us to record our congratulations and thanks to the public servants from departments across the spectrum who have worked so well following the earthquake.