Ryall Tony: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
Ryall Tony: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:630;Page:2440] 
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
: 
 For the benefit of those who are tuning in to this debate I will explain that we are looking at the financial performance of the Ministry of Health. This debate gives Parliament an opportunity to review the performance of not only the Government but also the ministry in the last 12 months. 
Over the last few weeks in Parliament the National Party has demonstrated some of the incredible pressures being borne by the public health system in New Zealand and that despite $4 billion of extra money the services in our hospitals are still wanting. We have demonstrated through answers to written questions that fewer New Zealanders are receiving elective surgery today than there were 5 years ago and that fewer New Zealanders are receiving surgery full stop than there were 5 years ago. This country should not be proud of that state of affairs. After 6 years of the stewardship of Annette King as the Minister of Health $4 billion of extra public funding and huge pay increases for people who deserve them what do we have? 
After 6 years of Annette King as the Minister of Health and an extra $4 billion in funding what does her colleague the current Minister the Hon Pete Hodgson say about her performance as Minister of Health with a mark out of 10? Five-and-a-half. What did Annette King say to Pete Hodgson when he rated her performance in the health portfolio as being five-and-a half out of 10? I have seen the Minister’s face every time— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: What was the raw mark before scaling? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: That is a very good question. What do New Zealanders receive from that $4 billion of extra money? Fewer elective surgeries and fewer surgeries altogether. 
We will also hear today from other members of the National Party health team what the district health boards are saying about that. I will be interested in the comments of the Minister in the chair Pete Hodgson about the sort of reception he receives in the boardrooms of district health boards in New Zealand because I can tell him about what we hear as we go around the district health boards. District health board after district health board is saying that a person has to be more sick today than he or she had to be 5 years ago in order to get an operation. District health board after district health board is saying that despite $4 billion of extra money in order for people to get an operation today they have to be more sick than they had to be 5 years ago. 
I would like the Minister in the chair to take a call and explain how it can be that after all that money fewer elective procedures and fewer surgeries are being carried out. Fewer individuals are receiving surgery overall than received it 5 years ago. We will get a line about out-patient operations and all that stuff. I think the Minister will be surprised to hear how few of those he can add to the total when the figures come along in July 2006. 
We will also hear from the National Party health team about how the Government has been underfunding the investment in pharmaceuticals in this country in the last 4 or 5 years. 
Hon Annette King 
: That’s a laugh. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Annette King says that is a laugh. Well Pete Hodgson has rated pharmaceutical policy under that Minister at 5½ out of 10—that is what he said. That is how highly the Minister in the chair rates Annette King’s performance as former Minister of Health. We will hear from Dr Jackie Blue. She will talk about the fact that per head of population the funding spent on pharmaceuticals in this country after inflation has dropped in every one of the last 4 years. That is why Annette King receives a 5½ from Pete Hodgson on that issue. 
We will hear from Jonathan Coleman who humiliated Mr Hodgson in the House over the cardiac waiting list at Auckland City Hospital. Mr Hodgson got up and said people were actually getting angioplasties done by Waitemata District Health Board. Then the next day he came back and said angioplasties were not done by Waitemata District Health Board. 
We will hear from Jo Goodhew about the parlous state of workforce training in this country and about the fact that there simply are not enough doctors and nurses. She will talk about the fact that this Government is wasting taxpayers’ money by sending staff from 10 district health boards to London.