Chadwick Steve: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Chadwick Steve: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:615;Page:10861] 
1. STEVE CHADWICK (Labour—Rotorua) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Has she received any reports comparing New Zealand’s health system internationally? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Yes. The Commonwealth Fund the philanthropic independent research organisation based in the United States has just released its latest report which compares patient satisfaction with the quality of health care in Australia Canada New Zealand the United Kingdom and the United States. New Zealand came out top overall. 
Steve Chadwick 
: Has the Minister seen any other reports comparing New Zealand’s health system internationally? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Yes. Despite the obvious pride the rest of the country rightly takes in our health system—particularly patients—the Opposition persists in referring to our health system as a Third World system. If New Zealand is part of the Third World what does that make the four countries—Australia the UK the United States and Canada—that were rated below us overall? 
Dr Lynda Scott 
: Why does she take credit for the fact that we scored first out of five countries on patient-centredness and access to general practitioners—scores totally due to our dedicated New Zealand doctors—but fails to tell New Zealand that we were fourth in long waits for hospital admissions third and fourth on equity scores and fifth on the wrong medications being given in the last 2 years? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I will table the report when I am finished. I tell the member that on timeliness—the waiting time—New Zealand came out first. We came out first in patient-centredness and we came out second on safety efficiency effectiveness and equity. Although the member may not like it the New Zealand health system is doing well because—yes—we do have good doctors nurses and health providers. New Zealanders like the system that we have. 
Barbara Stewart 
: Can the Minister tell us whether this is the same report that states that 75 percent of our hospitals have insufficient funding to maintain current levels of service; if so will the Minister outline how she plans to address that shortfall? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: No there is no such report. This report is one that is carried out each year. It first started in 1998. I vividly recall the 1999 report in which New Zealanders rated the health system we had at that time as the worst of the five countries. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Given that the report highlights the high quality of New Zealand medical staff is she concerned that Medical Council of New Zealand data shows that only 58 percent of New Zealand medical graduates are still practising in New Zealand 3 years after graduation and will she be talking to the Minister of Education about reducing the burden of student loans and how to address this particular problem; if not why not? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Two of those three questions can be answered. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I have already spoken to my colleague about reducing student loans and we have a number of very innovative things happening in terms of district health boards helping students to reduce their loans. But perhaps the member would be interested to know that the latest Medical Council figures of the number of doctors in New Zealand show that 391 more doctors are practising than were practising the year before. 
Judy Turner 
: With reference to the primary question does the Minister agree that recent Clinical Training Agency figures indicate that New Zealand is significantly short of World Health Organization standards for numbers of practising psychiatrists with a deficit of 118 psychiatrists for the general population and 55 child and adolescent specialists highlighting a gaping hole in New Zealand’s psychiatric services and this leaves open the potential for the system to fail more clients like it has failed Mark Burton Lachlan Jones and Lesley Parr in recent years; if not why not? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: New Zealand like most countries in the world does not have enough psychiatrists. This has been acknowledged by the Mental Health Commission for a number of years. The member may know that this year we increased the number of medical students by 40 and we are targeting them towards mental health and general practitioner services because we recognise that more psychiatrists are needed. Unfortunately we needed to start some time ago; they take 15 years to train. 
Barbara Stewart 
: I seek leave to table the two pages of the 2003 Commonwealth Fund international health policy survey measuring the current financial situation of the hospitals. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Did the Minister wish to table something? 
Hon Annette King 
: I seek leave to table the report. [ 
Interruption 
] I am happy to oblige Mr Prebble. In fact I will deliver one to him. I am happy to table the report. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.