Chadwick Steve: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Chadwick Steve: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:626;Page:20883] 
9.  
STEVE CHADWICK (Labour—Rotorua) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: What progress has been made on the roll-out of the meningococcal vaccination programme? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 I am delighted to report that as of 15 May 820000 doses of the meningococcal B vaccine have been given to our children and young people in the largest immunisation protection programme in recent New Zealand history. Over 390000 of our children and young people have received their first dose and over 185000 now have the protection of the full three doses. A further 2 million - plus doses of the vaccine are planned to be delivered in the next 6 months. The programme is now live in 17 district health board areas and will be rolled out in all districts by the end of the month. Parents are supporting it in droves with consent rates for school-aged children at over 90 percent in most district health board areas. 
Steve Chadwick 
: Have there been any unexpected outcomes from this programme? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Yes. Nurses have responded magnificently to the call to help with the campaign. About 120 extra nurses came out of retirement—or out of the woodwork—to help vaccinate in the Wellington region alone. That is a tremendous response. It has been the same in other regions. In the Auckland region 180 additional nurses were recruited for the programme. They came from far and wide they got out from behind their desks they took time out of their motherhood duties and they came out of retirement. We have seen a huge response from nurses in helping with this programme as well as from our general practitioners. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: Does the Minister now accept that the delay of the flu vaccination campaign could have been avoided if Pharmac had ensured greater security of supply by way of a split tender and that the meningococcal roll-out has made it very difficult for South Island health workers to manage two vaccination campaigns at the same time? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I have been fortunate enough to visit some of those who are rolling out the programme in the South Island. They are incredibly pleased with what they are doing. They were waiting for it to happen. They are not whingeing and moaning like that member who wants to make a political point. In relation to the first part of his question it is all very well having hindsight about whether we should have a split tender. If we should have had a split tender this year why did we not have one for all the years that we have had this programme—from the time it started 7 years ago? 
Sue Kedgley 
: Can the Minister confirm that it is a breach of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights to coerce or put pressure on people to have a medical treatment; is she therefore concerned at reports that some children are being left with the impression that they will die if they are not given the vaccination and will she take steps to put an end to that sort of pressure from enthusiastic people who are rolling out this vaccine? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The member is correct. Nobody should be coerced into a health treatment. However I have had no such reports. I wonder whether that question reflects the member’s opposition to any immunisation. That is not the view of most New Zealanders.