Hughes Darren: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Hughes Darren: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:627;Page:22128] 
10.  
DARREN HUGHES (Labour—Otaki) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: What reports if any has she received on future changes to primary health organisations? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Acting Minister of Health) 
: On Monday I read a report in the  
New Zealand Herald  
that talked about rationalising so-called inefficient primary health organisations in small communities whether they served rural areas or specific groups in cities and regions. Rationalisation in my view is just another name for cut-backs. Small communities would be deprived of the ability to determine the health services they need. This is what the National Party proposes to do to pay for its tax cuts. That is the party that says it supports choice. 
Darren Hughes 
: Can the Minister explain how primary health organisations are performing this valuable role in our smaller communities? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: As it happens yes I can give many examples of smaller primary health organisations relating to specific community needs in a way that larger organisations would find more difficult. Examples include the Lake Taupo primary health organisation’s home insulation project in Mangakino the Mornington primary health organisation’s door-to-door transport service in Dunedin Ngati Porou Hauora’s diabetes programme on the East Coast that promotes practical activities and the Canterbury Community primary health organisation’s project to improve the oral health of teenagers. National calls such primary health organisations inefficient but I say they understand their communities in a way that National never will. 
Heather Roy 
: What is the Minister of Health’s response to the independent report  
Review of Primary Health Organisation Management Services 
 
commissioned by her own ministry which states: “PHO management is deficient in performance monitoring and reporting requirements business planning research and analysis community liaison development of protocols quality management and referred services.” and how is she intending to address this damning criticism of primary health organisations especially smaller organisations? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I am aware of that problem. There were some small primary health organisations that received insufficient funding to adequately carry out those management services. This Government has increased the funding so that they can indeed address the problems raised in the report. 
Judy Turner 
: Does the Minister agree that scrapping primary health organisations would mean burdening New Zealanders with yet another restructuring of our health system and wastage of significant investment in primary health two things that they do not want; but would he consider that if we are to continue with primary health organisations they do need to undergo significant streamlining and coordination to ensure that the resources are not squandered? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Yes I do agree that the last thing health practitioners in the primary area need is radical change. We are seeing some outstanding results from the good work that primary health organisations are doing up and down the country. We acknowledge there will have to be ongoing improvement in some areas but there are numerous examples that show and many general practitioners up and down this country who now think that primary health organisations are one of the best things this Government has done in the whole area of health care.