Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:664;Page:11653] 
9. 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he stand by all his recent statements on district health boards? 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Yes including the statement that the Government is investing in health the highest percentage of GDP ever and at the same time health boards are increasing their front-line services. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: How does he reconcile his past outrage when he said in the House: “What is the point of having whistleblower legislation when if someone does the right thing—speaks out for the community—that person is hunted down and taken down by the Government’s henchmen?” with his total silence on the muzzling of MidCentral District Health Board health staff in relation to health cuts in their region? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: One is aware of numerous comments from health staff in the MidCentral District Health Board area. I can tell that member that the MidCentral District Health Board is getting an additional $13 million this year bringing its total budget to $505 million. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: What does he say to the 120 people who braved freezing conditions in Palmerston North last week to protest against the health cuts one of whom said: “They tell us this is not about cuts but about change. Well I beg to differ”? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I say to those good people of Palmerston North that this Government inherited a declining financial position at the MidCentral District Health Board with the deficit expected to be well in excess of $10 million. We cannot have assured services for the people of that community when there is a financial situation like that. We are working to secure good quality front-line services for the people of MidCentral’s district. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: Does he stand by his statements about hospital emergency departments particularly North Shore Hospital where only a few years ago people languished under florescent lights on trolleys in corridors for up to 36 hours? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Yes. This morning at North Shore Hospital the Associate Minister of Health Dr Jonathan Coleman opened a new 25-bed ward. This new ward means that patients will not have to wait so long to be admitted and is in response to the Government’s 6-hour emergency department target. Next month eight clinical nurse specialists will start at the emergency department in North Shore working in partnership with doctors to provide faster treatment in the emergency department. This is an example of front-line services that are improving all around this nation. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: How does he expect MidCentral District Health Board to do anything other than make more health cuts when Treasury forecasts health needing at least a 5 percent increase to keep up with costs yet this year’s Budget handed MidCentral District Health Board a 2.12 percent increase? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: The advice that one has received from the Ministry of Health is that in order to keep up with inflation and a demographic change the health budget would have had to increase by $509 million. In fact in this Budget the increase is $512 million. I advise the member opposite that this is the highest percentage of GDP ever invested in health by any Government in the history of this country. For that we are getting massively improved front-line services.