King Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 29 January 2014. Volume:696;Page:15619. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]10.Hon ANNETTE KING (Labour—Rongotai) to theMinister of Health: What recent reports has he received on access to elective surgery?Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health): I have received many reports two of which I think are worth sharing with the House. One report confirms that the number of patients receiving elective surgery has increased from 118000 people a year under the previous Government to over 158000 patients a year now. That is an increase of 40000 a year. The other report is yet more good news in elective surgery. I can confirm that the Government has today announced an extra $10 million will be spent delivering almost 2000 extra operations.Hon Annette King: This question is—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the member to ask the supplementary question.Hon Annette King: How has he arrived at the number of 1800 more patients to receive elective surgery as per his announcement today when specialists are saying there is huge unmet need and why will he not agree to an independent scientific measurement rather than this sort of regular drip-feeding of funding in an effort to close down criticism and debate?Hon TONY RYALL: The Government is investing into those extra 1800 operations. Because of careful management of the health budget we have been able to free up resources to help those patients. This Government has made elective surgery a priority year after year after year and it has been criticised by the Opposition for doing so year after year after year.Hon Annette King: Why was he so fast to dismiss and denigrate recent research undertaken by TNS that found 280000 New Zealanders meet the clinical criteria for elective surgery but only 110000 have been placed on a waiting list leaving 170000 patients living with pain and disability when the Ministry of Health found TNS research reliable enough to undertake the New Zealand smoking survey—information that he is quite happy to quote and crow about?Hon TONY RYALL: Because the survey was commissioned and overseen by the Health Funds Association. They are the private health insurers of New Zealand whowant to jack up as much business as they can. I understand that the private health insurers and the private hospitals are under pressure. When the Government increases the amount of publicly funded surgery from 118000 operations a year to 158000 operations a year I can see why they are concerned.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table a document from the New Zealand Smoking Monitor. It is very difficult to find on the website. It shows the Ministry of Health was prepared—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member is now trying to use the point of order and the tabling of documents to make a political point.Dr Paul Hutchison: Why has the Government made such a commitment to increasing elective surgery?Hon TONY RYALL: That is an excellent question. The Government inherited a very difficult situation in elective surgery where between 2000 and 2006 the health budget increased significantly yet the number of patients getting surgery was actually slashed under the 6 years of Annette King. Waiting lists were culled—30000 people were removed off the waiting lists for no reason other than the fact that the Minister wanted to dress up the waiting list. That is why we have worked so hard—40000 extra operations a year. What a great effort by the doctors nurses and hospitals of our great New Zealand public health service.Hon Annette King: Is MidCentral District Health Board one of the regions that have thousands waiting to get on a list for surgery in light of a recent report from its hospital advisory committee that states that it can no longer give certainty for treatment within 5 months to those patients that there is significant concern about it and that one board member said publicly that patients will continue to be in pain for a longer period of time and the pain will not go away?Hon TONY RYALL: I know that the MidCentral District Health Board will be benefiting from the announcement that we made today and in fact compared with when Labour was in office 5400 more patients have been treated for elective surgery at the MidCentral District Health Board. I think it is doing a very good job and I would expect more surgery to come.Hon Annette King: Will he give a commitment today that when district health boards are required to shorten waiting times for surgery to 4 months later this year the threshold to get surgery will not be lifted and more patients pushed out of the system as some specialists are predicting is likely to happen; if not why not?Hon TONY RYALL: I can give that member the assurance that it has always been this Government’s intention that we shorten waiting times by increasing the amount of surgery that is provided. That is the reason why there were 40000 more operations done in the last 12 months compared with when we became the Government.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked the Minister whether district health boards would be lifting the threshold for surgery. He went nowhere near that question and that is the guts of the question.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member now cannot insist on an answer that she so desires. The question was wider than that and I rule that the Minister has addressed the question.