Sowry Roger: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Sowry Roger: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:611;Page:8825] 
3.  
Hon ROGER SOWRY (Deputy Leader—NZ National) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: What progress has been made to rectify the inequality of access to elective orthopaedic surgery in Counties Manukau compared to the rest of the country? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 I have made additional one-off funding of $5 million available to the Counties Manukau District Health Board to assist with reducing the inequality of access to elective orthopaedic surgery in its catchment area compared with the rest of the country. That will assist improved access to elective orthopaedic services for the population in its district. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: Why then have people like John Power been waiting 2 years for a knee replacement operation while two operating theatres in Counties Manukau have lain idle and why after she advised that World War II veteran’s general practitioner to contact Middlemore Hospital has he subsequently been dumped from the waiting list? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The Browns Road surgical facility built under a National Government was never funded. I am pleased to say that the money we are putting in will ensure that operations can be carried out in that area and far more people will receive operations than have in the past. 
Steve Chadwick 
: Has the Minister seen any reports with regard to problems with elective surgery experienced by Counties Manukau? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Yes. There has been a reduction of over 1600 people waiting longer than 6 months since 1998-99. Problems such as high acute demand were compounded in the past by underfunding which has been addressed by the population-based funding formula that was introduced this year. This has seen the Counties Manukau District Health Board receive a boost of $57 million in the last Budget of which $28 million was to address historical underfunding. 
Heather Roy 
: In respect of access can she deny that under her funding formula one board gets $585 for a 40-year-old white male while another board gets $1536 for a 40-year-old Maori or Pacific Island male on the same income in a poorer area—almost three times more money based purely on location and race regardless of health need? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: No because the population-based funding formula takes account of a number of factors including rurality socio-economic status and age—not like the old formula which was based purely on population numbers. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. When she was sitting down the Minister of Health did call out “racist”. I take grave exception to that particularly from a Minister. I think she should be asked to withdraw and apologise. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member if she did call that out will withdraw and apologise. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Speaking to the point of order— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No. Did the member use the word? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Yes. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Please withdraw and apologise. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I withdraw and apologise. I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. As I was sitting down Mr Prebble yelled out “race based”; I replied “racist”. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I do not need any further assistance. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I did not raise a point of order; I just took it that the Minister of Health was acknowledging that the health system is racist. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No no. The member knows that he is not being helpful in that regard at all. [ 
Interruption 
] He often is helpful; I acknowledge that. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: Given that the Minister of Health has stated: “The buck stops with me.” will she take responsibility for the 1853 Counties Manukau patients who have been dumped off the waiting list without having the surgery they need to alleviate the pain; and what will she do to ensure that Mr Power who cannot now walk to his front gate gets his operation instead of being dumped off the list? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: When the booking system was established under a National Government 58000 people were so-called dumped off waiting lists. That member knows that people nowadays are assessed on their relative priority and the person who needs an operation most gets it first. I am pleased to say that whereas under his watch 5162 people were waiting longer than 6 months we have managed to reduce that plus put additional money in to address that issue. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: I seek leave to table documents that show Mr Power is no longer on the waiting list for having waited over 6 months because the Minister has dropped them altogether. 
Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.