Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:662;Page:10531] 
5. 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he stand by all his statements on health services? 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Yes including the statement that the changes that that member regularly raises are clearly not the result of this Government reducing its funding of health. We have provided the district health boards with $536 million in extra funding this year and we will provide a solid increase in the next financial year. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Will he guarantee to the people of Taranaki that not one patient-centred front-line health service will be cut as their district health board goes through a cost-cutting process or will he break his election promise again? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I am concerned about the financial state of several district health boards including Taranaki District Health Board. Let us be clear that the Government has increased the funding of the Taranaki District Health Board by $11 million in the last Budget and there will be more of an increase in this year’s Budget. None of the changes that the board may be considering can be attributed to a funding cut. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: When the Minister of Finance Bill English said the Government was cutting low-value spending which services in health was he referring to: home help for 3000 Otago and Southland citizens mental health services in Nelson 12 nursing positions at Palmerston North Hospital or the 198 Youth Health Centre in Christchurch which is closing this week? Which of those services all of which are being cut does he say are of low value? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I expect that the Minister of Finance was referring to low-quality spending such as that member opposite’s free physiotherapy scheme which cost the country a quarter of a billion dollars and was proven to be much of a disaster. I would also say with respect to the member that many of the changes that she raises in this House are not new. I have received information that shows that in Otago-Southland in the last 3 years of the previous Government there were reduced home cleaning and support hours for more than 700 people—more than 700 people. I think this is a case of the member suffering from amnesia about the previous 3 years. 
Nicky Wagner 
: What improvements in front-line services have happened in Waitakere Hospital? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Staff have completed the first-ever hip replacement at Waitakere Hospital this month elective gynaecology day-stay procedures are now being done at the hospital and an almost $2 million refurbishment of the hospital’s emergency care centre got under way this month. That will bring full 24/7 emergency care services at Waitakere a big step closer. Under this Government the emergency department has already extended its hours this year and this building work means that it will be in a better position to open 24/7 in the middle of this year for children’s emergencies and for all patients by the end of this year as targeted. It is something that the party opposite promised while it was previously in Government and never delivered. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Why have more than 50 front-line patient services been cut and thousands of patients left without front-line health services under his watch? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Front-line services are improving in New Zealand. The member needs to know that we inherited a situation where under the previous Government we had $150 million of unfunded services. We have put an extra $536 million into the district health boards. That is why we have record numbers of elective surgery procedures faster care in emergency departments more people getting cancer care and great developments happening up and down the country.