8. Question No. 8—HealthANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 8—Health 8. ANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour) to the Minister of Health: What progress if any is the Government making to improve access to quality healthcare for New Zealanders?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): I have more good news. This Government is committed to a strong health service that is delivering more care to more people—that starts in primary care. We know early intervention is always better and that's why in December last year we made it cheaper for around 600000 people to visit their GP. That investment is already paying dividends. In the latest New Zealand Health Survey there was an almost 10 percent drop in the number of people who reported that they couldn't afford to visit their GP. I'm proud to be part of a Government that is making it easier for people to get the care they need when they need it.Angie Warren-Clark: What progress is the Government making to improve access to mental health and addiction services?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: This Government is taking mental health and addiction seriously. We've rolled out Mana Ake putting mental health support into primary and intermediate schools throughout Canterbury and Kaikōura. Piki is delivering free support to 18- to 24-year-olds in Wellington and Wairarapa. We're rolling out new front-line mental health services. Already 170000 people across seven DHBs have access to free mental health services at their local general practices with new sites to be added and announced next year. We're investing more into addiction services and we've announced funding for new mental health facilities in Waikato Tai Rāwhiti and Palmerston North.Angie Warren-Clark: What progress is the Government making to improve access to hospital care?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Every day the staff in our public hospitals take care of thousands of people. I want to take this opportunity now to say thank you to them for their dedication professionalism and hard work. I want to wish them a merry Christmas. Last year they delivered more planned care interventions than ever before—an increase of 5000 on the previous year. Even more progress has been made in the first quarter of this year when we've seen 3150 more planned care interventions than over the same period in the previous year as well as 5800 more first specialist assessments and 2710 more acute discharges. I know we have more work to do and our new DHB chairs and boards face many challenges but after nine years of neglect our health services are making real progress in delivering more care for more people.Chlöe Swarbrick: What has been done to ensure New Zealanders who need it have access to high quality affordable medicinal cannabis?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Just today I've announced that new regulations are going to be in place that will allow local cultivation and manufacture of medicinal cannabis products that will potentially help ease the pain of thousands of people. Today's regulations which will come into effect on 1 April next year set out the quality and licencing arrangements for manufacturing and distributing medicinal cannabis. I want to thank all who have worked on this across the coalition and confidence and supply: those on this side of the House that have made medicinal cannabis so much easier for New Zealanders to access.