Hutchison Paul: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Hutchison Paul: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:652;Page:1701] 
7.  
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Hunua) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: How will the Government’s voluntary bonding scheme help address shortages in the health workforce? 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
: 
 The biggest challenges facing the New Zealand public health service today are workforce workforce and workforce. The Government’s voluntary bonding scheme offers student loan write-offs and cash incentives to graduate doctors nurses and midwives to work in hard-to-staff communities or specialties for 3 to 5 years. This scheme will encourage more of them to stay at home after graduation and make choices that will establish their careers here in New Zealand. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: What response has the Minister received in relation to the scheme? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: The new scheme which also applies to veterinarians and to teachers has had a very positive response particularly from young doctors nurses and midwives themselves as well as from the health sector. Positive responses have been received from a great many organisations including the College of General Practitioners the New Zealand Nurses Organisation the Medical Association the Medical Students’ Association the University Students Association and the Public Service Association. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: When the Minister issued a list of the areas that would be covered by the scheme did he know that the people of Horowhenua and Kapiti had been bribed with stories of more doctors nurses and midwives before the election and had been promised more local doctors midwives and nurses after the election and after the scheme had been announced—both bribes and promises from his colleague Mr Guy—and if so why did he leave Horowhenua and Kapiti off the list? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: It is certainly interesting that the Opposition’s strongest criticism of the scheme is that it should be expanded to more places and groups. I advise the member that if a graduate doctor wishes to be a general practitioner in his or her third year after graduation and works in Kapiti or Horowhenua then he or she will quality for the voluntary bonding scheme. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: What other steps is the Government taking to address workforce shortages? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: The Government is tackling workforce issues on many fronts. It is working to give doctors and nurses a much greater say in the running of the health system in order to improve job satisfaction and make them less likely to leave. We are requiring district health boards to focus on the retention of doctors nurses and other health staff. We are funding an additional 200 medical training places and an extra 50 general practitioner training places. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Has the Minister seen reports from the director of nursing of the West Coast District Health Board from the College of Nurses and from the College of Mental Health Nurses stating that this scheme would pull nurses away from primary health care rural health care and aged care; if so what is his response? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I have seen those reports and I have to say that this Government is doing something the previous Government did not do. Rather than relying on 55 workforce reports over the previous 9 years—55 workforce reports and still we inherited a health workforce crisis—the voluntary bonding scheme and the other policies I talked about earlier will help make a difference. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Can the Minister explain why words such as “voluntary” and “bonding” are permitted words to be used but words like “public health inequalities” and “social justice” are banned in his ministry? What is it about voluntary bonding that the Minister likes? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I advise the member that the only instruction I have given the Ministry of Health is that it write its reports in English.