9. Question No. 9—HealthHon MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore) to the Associate Minister of HealthQuestion No. 9—Health9. Hon MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore) to the Associate Minister of Health: Is she aware of the recent international study that highlighted non-existent or sub-standard testing on surgical mesh products; if so can she guarantee those unsafe products are not being used currently in New Zealand?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Associate Minister of Health): Thank you Mr Speaker. I am aware of a recent report highlighting concerns with surgical mesh and faulty medical devices which sadly are not unique to New Zealand. Concerns about the safety of some surgical mesh products and particular procedures that affect women have led to this issue being a high priority for this Government and particularly for my work as Associate Minister of Health with responsibility for women's health. That is why within two months of this Government coming to power we took stronger action than the previous Government took in nine years. New Zealand is now one of only two countries in the world to have taken regulatory action restricting the availability of some surgical mesh products which are deemed to be unsafe. We are establishing provider-led registries to increase oversight more quickly. We have established a credentialing standard to ensure surgeons are properly qualified. Thirteen district health boards are no longer undertaking the procedures due to the actions taken by this Government and we are progressing rigorous informed consent processes for patients. I note that New Zealand is a small part of a large global market and that we will always have limits on our technical regulatory capacity but I can assure the member that this Government is very engaged on the surgical mesh issue. We are progressing significant work that the previous Government neglected to undertake. Hon Maggie Barry: Will the Minister commit today as a matter of urgency to establish a retrospective register for surgical mesh use as National has committed to do and as Labour and the Greens promised to do in the lead-up to the election?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: I'd like to congratulate that member and her party for finally recognising the need for action on this issue. It's a shame they didn't take action sooner. But when it comes to a registry what this Government did undertake immediately was a cost-benefit analysis and an assessment of what was required to set up a registry. [Interruption] Perhaps the members aren't interested in hearing the response?SPEAKER: In fact I agree with the member. That's enough. Thank you.Hon Maggie Barry: Will the Minister follow the lead of Australia the UK and the EU and direct that surgical mesh should not be used as the first surgical option and go even further and apply Scotland's approach and have surgical mesh offered only as the last available option?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: I'm not convinced that that member is exactly correct in her interpretation of what other jurisdictions have directed. Our understanding is that the United Kingdom has only put a temporary pause on the use of surgical mesh. I will reiterate that New Zealand is now one of only two countries in the world with Australia to take regulatory action on surgical mesh products and we have progressed a work programme writing to district health boards requiring and setting up a credentialing of surgeons. We are doing everything we can to guarantee women are protected from unsafe products.Hon Maggie Barry: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I don't believe that the Minister responded to the question and perhaps she misunderstood what the question was alluding to.SPEAKER: I think right at the beginning—I probably should have stopped the Minister because she continued on for too long. Right at the beginning she certainly did address the question. Hon Maggie Barry: Does the Minister agree with the statement I can't understand why there hasn't been a surgical mesh registry formed and if there is a good reason I haven't heard it"—from Labour's health spokesperson David Clark in October last year?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: Ah—SPEAKER: Well do you agree with it? No responsibility but do you agree? So the member can answer it. Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: Now I don't think I'm responsible for that. That's not my ministerial responsibility. But Mr Speaker if you would allow me to perhaps I could give the member some indication as to—SPEAKER: I'm only going to allow you if it relates to something that Dr Clark said. Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: I would like to let the member know what we are progressing in terms of a registry. No? OK.SPEAKER: Question number 10—Rt Hon Winston Peters: Supplementary question.SPEAKER: A point of order the Rt Hon Winston Peters.Rt Hon Winston Peters: No I want to ask the member a supplementary question.SPEAKER: No I've called question 10. We can't go backwards. [Chris Penk gestures to member to sit down] Now that member if he does that will be out. Sit down. Now when I call the subsequent question we don't go backwards. Question number 10 Chris Penk—and the member is on a warning that only one of us is going to chair the House."