7. Question No. 7—HealthDr SHANE RETI (National) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 7—Health7. Dr SHANE RETI (National) to the Minister of Health: Talofa Mr Speaker. Does he stand by all of his statements and actions?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): Talofa Mr Speaker. Yes. In particular I stand by the actions this Labour Government has taken to ensure that our health system is properly funded to provide quality care services to all New Zealanders when and where they need them.Dr Shane Reti: When he said of the health system in February We are well prepared." can he explain then why a woman with typhoid is reported as being asked to sleep in her car outside Middlemore Hospital because of a lack of hospital beds?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: One of the things as the Minister of Health I cannot do is inquire into the individual circumstances of individual patients because that would be a breach of patient confidentiality. I have been assured by the Counties Manukau District Health Board that they treat all patients with respect and provide them with options and I'm satisfied that the Counties Manukau District Health Board did all they could to ensure the right treatment was available to that particular patient.Dr Shane Reti: Did Counties Manukau provide a vehicle as an option to a woman with typhoid?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: As I said in my previous answer I'm satisfied that the Counties Manukau health board in providing treatment to this particular patient over a lengthy period of time did all that was clinically and ethically required of them.Dr Shane Reti: Does he think our international health reputation is damaged by reports of people with typhoid being asked to sleep in cars outside hospitals?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: What I do think most people will do when they look at media reports citing anonymous sources is treat them with great scepticism.Dr Shane Reti: Is his restructuring during a pandemic contributing in any way at all to Christchurch and Auckland hospitals reporting today that they are cancelling surgeries?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: It is true that in this House you hear absurd things being said including in question time and that would be one of the more absurd ones. I'm happy to assist the member and point out that during winter time the health system receives a spike in people with flu conditions with respiratory conditions and more recently with COVID and part of the preparation that the health system undergoes is to foresee that and prepare accordingly. But the health system is typically put under pressure during winter time. It is under pressure now and it is coping.Hon Grant Robertson: What support has the Minister seen for the health reforms from the health workforce?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: Everywhere I go members of the health workforce right from senior clinicians to those in the front line and other roles say this change is long overdue. They want to be part of a unified well-coordinated and I might add well-funded health system and that's what they are getting under this Government.Dr Shane Reti: Can you guarantee then that his restructure which will begin next month won't make the current crisis in our health system even worse?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: We have a health system that responds very well to the needs of New Zealanders but can do a lot better and the changes that we are putting in place subject to the passage of legislation that is yet to complete its journey through this Parliament will make things a lot better in terms of the ability for health service providers to meet those needs consistently across the country and to improve the equitable supply of health services right across the country as well."