King Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 13 November 2013. Volume:694;Page:14620. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.Hon ANNETTE KING (Labour—Rongotai) to theMinister of Health: Does he stand by his statements that “this Government has put an average of $500 million extra into the health budget each year” and “we are providing more services for New Zealanders faster and with better access providing the services they need”?Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health): Yes. This year’s Budget appropriations show that the operational spending has risen from $11.6 billion in Labour’s last Budget to $14.1 billion this year. That is an increase of $2.5 billion over this Government’s five Budgets—an average increase of $500 million a year. District health boards areincreasing services for patients. Like the rest of the world the country’s finances are still tight and district health boards and constantly changing the mix of services and how they provide them within their increasing budgets as they look to make the best use of their available funding.Hon Annette King: If there is sufficient funding and if there are more services providing faster and better access to services that people need why after 5 years have headlines like these appeared in the media in the last 2 weeks alone: “SHDB kept lid on crisis” “Risk of deaths” “Health board apologises for poor care” and this one from thePress“Patients in agony ‘dumped off lists’ ”?Hon TONY RYALL: What I have learnt from that member and from others is not to believe every headline that you read in the newspaper because particularly in respect of that last headline the Canterbury District Health Board has confirmed that no patients have been dumped off its list. This stands in strong contrast to the previous Government which cut 1000 orthopaedic patients from the Canterbury District Health Board waiting list in 2006. We expect patients to be treated.Hon Annette King: When he made his claim in Parliament on 5 September that as of June 2013 only 20 patients were waiting longer than 6 months—nine for assessment and 11 for operations—did he receive that information from the Ministry of Health or from the district health boards themselves?Hon TONY RYALL: I am not in a position to be able to give an exact answer on that. I would say that that information would have come from the Ministry of Health. It is quite a significant achievement that we have many fewer people waiting less than 6 months. It is a really big achievement by district health boards.Hon Annette King: In light of that answer who does know the real number of New Zealanders waiting longer than 6 months for surgery: district health boards like Waikato District Health Board which said that as of June 2012 it had 376 patients waiting longer than 6 months; or MidCentral District Health Board which said that it had 161 patients waiting longer than 6 months; or the eight district health boards that said no such data is captured or collected so therefore cannot be provided to him or to me?Hon TONY RYALL: I would have to say that that member has put in hundreds of Official Information Act requests and what I have learnt is that I cannot rely on any question that she represents because my experience was that that member circulated Official Information Act responses where she had changed the numbers. I actually cannot trust what she says.Hon Annette King: So is it more than 20 is it Tony? Has he read a copy of the standard letter given to patients by district health boards which reads: “Although it is clear that you would benefit from surgery and your surgeon and GP would prefer it happens now public hospitals in New Zealand can only accept patients on to their surgical waiting list if they can provide the surgery within the next 5 months.”? How many New Zealanders have received these letters and have been sent home and according to a top orthopaedic surgeon are living in agony and remortgaging their homes to pay for the surgery privately?Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Tony Ryall—either of those two questions.Hon TONY RYALL: I am really thankful that that member has raised the issue of how many people are getting to see hospital specialists and how many people are getting operations. I can tell that member that under this Government compared with her Government’s position 40000 more people are getting to see hospital specialists—40000—and 40000 more people are getting operations. When she was Minister of Health fewer people got operations on a population basis; we are getting more.Hon Annette King: I have a number of documents I would like to table. The first one is from the Ministry of Health claiming that only 20 people are waiting longer than 6 months. Thank you Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: I think we will try to put the leave all together.Hon Annette King: Yes. I then have an Official Information Act request from the MidCentral District Health Board saying that it has 161 people waiting longer than 6 months not 20. I have a letter from the Waikato District Health Board saying that it has 376 patients waiting longer than 6 months not 20.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Just describe the document.Hon Annette King: Yes I am. And I have a letter from the Auckland District Health Board saying that it does not capture such data so therefore it does not collect it. Therefore the Minister has been misleading—Mr SPEAKER: Order! That last part is not in order at all. Leave is sought to table four documents: a Ministry of Health letter an Official Information Act request from the MidCentral District Health Board a letter from the Waikato District Health Board and a letter from the Auckland District Health Board. Is there any—[Interruption]Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I take offence at that comment from the Minister and I ask him to stand and apologise for it.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I did not hear the offence. If the Minister made an offensive comment—Hon TONY RYALL: I simply asked whether they were doctored like the one from the South Canterbury District Health Board.Hon Annette King: Point of order Mr Speaker. If we are going to play that game I can play it as well.Mr SPEAKER: Order! It is members’ time after question time that members are eating into. If the Minister had not used the word “doctored” and had used the word “altered” it certainly would have been more satisfactory. The member has taken offence. I am surprised by that. Would the Minister please stand and withdraw and apologise.Hon TONY RYALL: I withdraw and apologise.Hon Annette King: Point of order Mr Speaker. I am sorry Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the member please resume her seat. She has sought leave. I want to put the leave and then—Hon Annette King: I did have one more I forgot. Do you want me to seek leave for that?Mr SPEAKER: No we will put the four I have described. Leave is sought. There is objection.Hon Annette King: I have a letter from a district health board telling patients—Mr SPEAKER: Order! All we need to know is which district health board it is from.Hon Annette King: It is from the Canterbury District Health Board. Perhaps the Minister might like to see it.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Leave is now sought to table a letter from the Canterbury District Health Board. There is objection.