Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:625;Page:20160] 
11.  
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: How long after the detection of the new particularly aggressive gentamicin-resistant strain of the  
Staphylococcus aureus 
 superbug in the neonatal ward of Wellington Hospital was she advised of the outbreak? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 I was informed last Thursday by Capital and Coast District Health Board—after it had spoken with the parents of the babies of the situation in the neonatal intensive care unit and the infection control action plan was already in place to eradicate the gentamicin-resistant strain of  
Staphylococcus aureus 
. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Has the Minister sought an explanation as to why Wellington Hospital failed to inform parents with babies at the neonatal unit about the existence of the aggressive superbug or even to inform parents such as Maree Hood that their baby had died from an infection caused by the superbug; does she agree that the failure to do so was both deplorable and unethical? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I received a report from Capital and Coast District Health Board within a day of asking for it. To add to that in terms of communication with the parents all parents were contacted. They were given the appropriate information and I understand that the families of the babies affected feel that they were fully informed. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Given the aggressive nature of the deadly superbug which is said to defy normal infection control procedures and has infected more than 37 people why did the Ministry of Health keep the outbreak under wraps for more than 6 months and inform the Minister only last week; and would she not have expected to be alerted much much earlier about such an aggressive outbreak as would all the parents in the unit during that time other hospitals community laboratories and other neonatal units? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The member is incorrect. It was not the Ministry of Health that informed me it was Capital and Coast District Health Board. The board informed me through its clinicians that managing and handling outbreaks of infections in neonatal units is part of its daily routine and that it undertakes the highest level of infection control which is up there with the best international practice. 
Sue Kedgley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. My question asked why the outbreak was kept under wraps for 6 months and whether the Minister would not have expected to be informed earlier. I would appreciate it if the Minister would answer the question. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Does the Minister wish to address the question? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: If the member looks at her question she will see that she asked me why the Ministry of Health kept it under wraps. I said that I was advised by Capital and Coast District Health Board. I then went on to say that the hospital undertook normal practice. There are often outbreaks of such bugs in neonatal units around the world and New Zealand is no exception. It was handled as part of the hospital’s usual routine. When there is a case it does not constitute an outbreak. The member is incorrect. When the bug was first found the unit immediately changed its infectious control techniques. It carried on testing changed its infectious control techniques and has managed this infection as it would be expected to. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Is the Minister saying that she is quite satisfied that she was not informed until last week by Capital and Coast District Health Board—or for that matter by the Ministry of Health which one would have expected to be fully informed of this outbreak—of an outbreak of this sort of seriousness? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Yes I am for the reason that I have already given in two answers and for the reasons that were given by microbiologists and by other paediatricians around New Zealand last week when they said that this is very much their daily job in terms of infection control. It is not something that they tell the Minister of Health about every time there is an outbreak of any bug within a neonatal unit—they get on and manage it. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Why do we not have enough neonatal beds in New Zealand so that a unit can be closed down when there is an outbreak of such an aggressive and highly resistant superbug as happens with serious outbreaks of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in adult wards and when will the Minister respond to the national review of neonatal units that found last year that crowded and stretched neonatal units are endangering babies? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: At any time of any day we know exactly how many neonatal facilities we have in New Zealand. Yesterday we had seven spare beds. There was no reason to close the unit down completely because when proper infectious control mechanisms of international standard are used units do not need to be closed down. Situations can be managed through a system of coding—red orange and green. Capital and Coast District Health Board has handled this situation with that method. I have the latest figures on the cases. One can see the improvement that has occurred through the use of that sort of method. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Can the Minister confirm that an expert panel report dealing with superbugs recommended more than 6 years ago that the Government set up a comprehensive national surveillance and monitoring system of antibiotic resistance in humans and animals to assess how prevalent antibiotic resistance is and to enable rapid response to outbreaks such as this; and why 6 years later has her Government still not acted on this recommendation? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I think the first thing I need to do is correct the member. She calls this a superbug. There is no such classification of bacteria. Secondly this bacterium is not resistant to the antibiotics used to treat the infection that caused it. 
Sue Kedgley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I asked a very specific question about whether an expert panel had recommended setting up a surveillance system and why nothing had been done about that. The Minister has not responded and I would appreciate an answer to that. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Minister did address the question. I listened really carefully and it was addressed. This is another example of the questioner not getting the answer that was desired.