Mahuta Nanaia: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Mahuta Nanaia: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:620;Page:15875] 
5.  
NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Tainui) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Has she received any recent reports regarding enrolments in primary health organisations for the over-65-year-old age group? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Yes. The latest report on enrolment shows that over 90 percent of all New Zealanders who are over 65 years of age are enrolled in primary health organisations. In other words 441408 people over 65 are receiving additional subsidies to reduce the cost of primary health care. This is an amazing achievement in such a short time and it demonstrates that older New Zealanders have grabbed this opportunity to safeguard their health. 
Nanaia Mahuta 
: Can the Minister clarify in what areas some of the highest enrolments of over-65-year-olds are? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: As this Government said when it introduced the policy primary health organisation funding would initially target those areas with the greatest need before rolling the programme out to all New Zealanders. I am happy to report that in areas such as Counties Manukau Tairawhiti Northland and South Canterbury over 96 percent of the over-65-year-olds are enrolled in primary health organisations. 
Judith Collins 
: How many over-65-year-olds could have had cataract surgery with the $2 million being spent by her Government on advertising and singing the praises of primary health organisations? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: No doubt one could spend some of that money on cataracts. However I think it is just as important if not more important that people can afford to go to the doctor—something that has happened under this Government—and I wonder why so many older New Zealanders want to be enrolled in primary health organisations. The answer is that it is cheaper to go and they want to go to their doctors. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister was asked how many cataract operations could have been financed with that $2 million propaganda exercise she engaged in. She made no attempt to answer that question. She surmised that some of it could have been spent that way. If she does not know the answer she should say so. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I heard the Minister say that it is true that there could be some cataract operations. I heard the Minister say that. That was addressing that part of the question. She did not give a specific figure; that is true. But she did say that at the very start of the answer she gave. 
Nanaia Mahuta 
: Can the Minister give details of how primary health organisations are contributing toward better health for all New Zealanders? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: There are hundreds of examples but perhaps I could use—[ 
Interruption 
] Oh Mr Peters said he would be happy to have one. Well let us go to the primary health organisation in west Auckland where there are 110 doctors for a population of 150000 and it is now carrying out all sorts of procedures. But one procedure the member might be interested in is that it is increasing its immunisation rate to a level of 97 percent—a level it has not seen before. It happened under a primary health organisation according to the primary health organisation itself.