4. Question No. 4—HealthHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 4—Health4. Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of Health: What is his best estimate of the number of elective procedures and specialist assessments that have been postponed by district health boards as a consequence of the industrial action taken by the Resident Doctors' Association this week?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): Exact figures won't be known for some time but hospitals are reporting no unexpected issues so far. Approximately 38 percent of house officers and 72 percent of registrars have made themselves available for work this week and district health boards (DHBs) are advising the public that if they need to attend hospital for acute or emergency medical treatment they should do so. I am advised that preliminary planning estimates are that 1513 elective procedures and 776 other procedures—such as elective angiography—have been deferred. People are missing out on planned care as a result of the strike and that's why I am urging both DHBs and the Resident Doctors' Association to make the most of facilitation to find a resolution urgently.Hon Michael Woodhouse: What assurance can he give that no patient whose elective surgery was postponed has died in the period since the surgery was deferred?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Elective surgery or planned care is that care which is deemed not to be acute. Those who have acute needs should present at the hospital as soon as they are able. Obviously I feel sorry for anyone who has had planned care delayed because of industrial action—I can imagine how frustrating that would be—but I'm confident that DHBs are doing everything they can to minimise the impact on patients and to reschedule those procedures that have been delayed. It is why it is so important that both sides turn up this week prepared for facilitation and ready to find a solution to this dispute.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Who will be prioritised in the period after the strikes: those patients with surgeries and assessments already scheduled for that period or those patients who missed out on surgeries and assessments because of this week's strikes?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Patients are prioritised according to clinical need by those who have the expertise.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Is he aware of any patients who have now had surgeries deferred more than once as a result of industrial action in the health sector since this Government came into office?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I am made aware of incidents where people have surgeries deferred on more than one occasion. I receive an awful lot of correspondence and that was certainly true under the last Government—I received correspondence on that too. It is really frustrating and disappointing when that happens.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Will he now accept that after a year of negotiations and four periods of industrial action he needs to step in to ensure the dispute is resolved?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Nobody wants to see patients missing out on services and it is disappointing that we are seeing this strike action when there is facilitation scheduled to begin this week. But in the end what is needed here is a resolution that will work for both the DHBs and the Resident Doctors' Association. Let's not forget that there is already a union that has settled with the DHBs which has 750 members—the Specialty Trainees of New Zealand—and it's also worth remembering that DHBs have settled pay rounds with nurses with midwives with Allied Health and with clerical workers already.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Does he accept that if he does not intervene to ensure the dispute is settled the responsibility for adverse patient outcomes as a consequence of industrial action rests with him and his Government?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: It is of course my responsibility for the overall performance of the health system. I want to see more people get quality accessible care. I also take responsibility for making doctors visits free or cheaper for around 600000 New Zealanders. I take responsibility for the Mana Ake programme which is delivering mental health and well-being support in primary and intermediate schools in Canterbury. I take responsibility for overseeing a major programme of work to fix up our ageing hospitals which were suffering from nine long years of neglect.