O'Connor Damien: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
O'Connor Damien: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:646;Page:15030] 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR (Associate Minister of Health) 
: 
 I will take the opportunity to speak on this area of health where this Government is very proud of its record. Since coming into power in 1999 as one speaker said we have doubled the amount of money going into health to almost $12 billion and yes there has been an increase in the number of people overseeing that expenditure in the ministry—and so there should be too because we expect that they will monitor that money very carefully. 
I refer to the Health Committee report and I acknowledge the good work done by the committee and by people like Barbara Stewart who have very carefully gone through and scrutinised this expenditure assisted the ministry and come up with a very very good report. Barbara Stewart referred to the workforce and of course that is very important to the whole health sector—to have people with the skills to do what is needed when it is needed. We came in to Government off the back of inadequate hopeless and useless workforce planning. Nothing was in place. We saw the rundown in specialists across the board in all areas of skill needs and we have had to boost and fund that area of training to ensure that we have the people on the ground for that. 
I refer to the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board. All I will say to members is for them to read the report and just wait and see; I think things will become clear and evident before too long. 
I must refer to a number of areas of success in the health system. In the area of primary health we have put our money where our mouth is. Everyone knows that prevention is better than cure. We have spent literally hundreds of millions of dollars in this area and 94 percent of the New Zealand population is now enrolled in a primary health organisation. When such organisations work properly—and some still have to work through a number of issues—they take a holistic approach to the primary area of prevention and care for people before they become unwell or ill. Seventy percent of children under 6 years of age are now receiving free standard consultations from practices participating in either the zero fees for under-sixes initiative or the very low-cost access initiative. This means that parents can go and get help when they need it for their children which prevents the very quick escalation of medical problems with children in particular. 
A member spoke about the area of cancer control which is a very difficult and challenging area. We have put in place a comprehensive plan—the Cancer Control Strategy Action Plan—that runs from 2005 through to 2010 and we are monitoring the progress of that plan all the time. It is a very very difficult area. We have put over $83 million of new funding into cancer control since the release of that plan and we are spending an additional $85 million at least in extra funding for hospital cancer treatment. Still more needs to be done because with the evolution of technology and new drugs there will always be pressure in this area. But I think we have taken a fair and responsible attitude across the continuum of cancer care and I applaud all those people who are involved. We are right at the early stages now. We have a substantive plan in the preventive area through the Healthy Eating - Healthy Action programme—good nutrition and healthy activity—to try to reduce over time the incidence of cancer in this country. 
But we have not forgotten about the difficult area of palliative care where for example we have seen the development of a national programme of training rotations for palliative medical registrars. There has never previously been a pathway into the speciality area before. That is huge progress in the area of care for those who are facing the challenges of cancer. 
We have innovative community carer support and treatment services. I was privileged enough to launch one of those services down on the West Coast in my home patch. There are two others in west Auckland and Rotorua. This service is where all the players involved in cancer care and treatment come together through community support managed by the primary health organisation to provide the support for those who need it. A young guy with children who was living down in Ross on the West Coast spoke evangelically—with such passion—for the level of care he had received through this new initiative. We will roll these initiatives out across the country as we learn best practice and how best to help the people who are facing these challenges. 
I take the opportunity to mention mental health where we have made huge progress. We have spent an additional $600 million in the area of mental health. I think we have done an amazing job in shifting people’s attitudes towards mental health. That is aside from increasing the workforce in this area by training people in the area of alcohol and drug addiction treatment and across the whole spectrum of mental health. I would like to acknowledge the Like Minds Like Mine programme which is now going into its fourth stage. One does not often get the chance to do this but I would like to acknowledge John Kirwan. He should be thanked up and down this country for fronting up in that campaign and assisting to change the attitude of the vast majority of New Zealanders towards those with mental health challenges. In my home patch a guy named Les Warren is someone who also fronted those ads. He is an ordinary guy an ordinary Kiwi who was prepared to front up and say “I have a problem that I live with in the community and with the good assistance of my family and those around me I can live a relatively normal life.” That is huge progress for a large number of New Zealanders who are challenged by mental health issues. 
I could go on and on. I acknowledge all of those people who work in the health system; it is challenging and there is never enough money because of the costs of technology the demands and the locations. I acknowledge the nurses the general practitioners the specialists and those people who are carers up and down this country. Finally I acknowledge the patients who are New Zealanders who face challenges all of the time. 
It is very important that I acknowledge the three Ministers: Annette King Pete Hodgson and now David Cunliffe who I think have done a remarkable job to get the funding put in place the strategies and programmes and move forward the health system in this country in quantum leaps from where we took it up in 1999 after it had been neglected for 9 years under a National Government. If National ever gets close to managing the health system again that is exactly where it will be again. Thank you Mr Chairman.