Chadwick Steve: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Chadwick Steve: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:625;Page:20148] 
3.  
STEVE CHADWICK (Labour—Rotorua) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: What announcements has she made about improvements to the number of cataract operations performed annually? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Today I was delighted to announce that the Government will spend an extra $17 million over the next 3 years to provide up to 7500 more cataract operations. Like the orthopaedic project I announced last year the cataract initiative will dramatically improve the quality of life for thousands more older New Zealanders. When the cataract initiative is fully implemented in 2008 there will be 12000 cataract operations publicly funded each year compared with 8000 now. 
Steve Chadwick 
: What responses has she seen to today’s announcement of such a large increase in publicly funded cataract surgery? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I have seen a media release from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists in which the college president Dr Allan Rosenberg from Australia and the chair of the New Zealand branch Dr Stephen Best welcomed the announcements. Dr Best said that the initiative is a major step in addressing the inequitable distribution of access to cataract surgery. He says that cataract surgery is a very effective intervention in terms of improving the lives of New Zealanders. I am very delighted with their support for this project. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: What guarantee can she give to the 4698 ophthalmology patients who at February 2005 have waited longer than 6 months for first specialist assessment—many of whom are going blind not only from cataracts but from diabetic eye disease glaucoma and amblyopia in children—that they will be seen promptly? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I thank the member for the question because the guarantee I can give him—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Let the Minister answer the question. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The guarantee that the Government can give is that 12000 cataract operations will be done a year compared with 8000 now which I have to say is more than used to be done under the previous National Government. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I asked a very specific question about what guarantee she can give that 4698 ophthalmology patients who have waited longer than 6 months for their first specialist assessment will be seen promptly. She did not address that question. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Minister did address the question. She may not have given the answer in exactly the way the member wanted it but she addressed the question and that is what is required under the Standing Orders. 
Barbara Stewart 
: Does the Minister believe that the lottery approach whereby the Government selects an ailment and provides a one-off funding boost to reduce patient numbers is an acceptable alternative to a properly run health system in which operations are performed as and when they are needed; if so why? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Other elective procedures are run as they should be. However there are two operations that the specialists in New Zealand plus organisations like Grey Power will tell the member give a quality of life above any other operations: cataract operations and major joint operations. We have not done enough of either of those operations in New Zealand. This Government was not prepared to sit on its hands and continue with that. We have taken the initiative. We are seeing the results now with the orthopaedic project and we will see the results with the cataract project. 
Judy Turner 
: Does the Minister agree that it is ridiculous that people suffering from mobility and eyesight difficulties are forced to travel distances to other district health boards for cataract surgery if their own district health board is too busy when local private providers just around the corner have spaces available; if so will she give an assurance that the private sector capacity will be fully utilised and if not why not? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I am pleased to tell the member that this project involves operations in public hospitals neighbouring public hospitals and the private sector as well as the mobile surgical bus which can go into areas where people are living so that they do not have to travel as we saw this morning when a cataract operation was carried out in Kapiti which we were able to watch in my office. Last month I saw a cataract operation carried out in Westport so the ability to do that operation in different ways is part of the project. 
Steve Chadwick 
: How does today’s announcement compare with the delivery of cataract surgery in New Zealand in the past? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I am aware of a number of cataract operations conducted from 1996. The highest number of cataract operations performed without one-off funding from the waiting-times fund was 7000 in 1999. In the past we have performed 8119 such operations all from within sustainable funding. In 3 years’ time we will be performing 12000 operations from sustainable funding. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Just spin! 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Even the member who is calling out may qualify if he needs one. He certainly would not have done so under his Government. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: How many cataract operations could be done with the $170000 she is spending on sex-change operations? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The sum of $170000 is the total expenditure on gender reassignment. Interestingly enough not one member in the National Government of the 1990s complained when it gave funds to carry out the same surgery. I wonder why it is not acceptable today when it was all right under a National Government. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: I seek leave to table a document from the Ministry of Health website which shows that in February 2005 there were 4698 ophthalmology patients who had waited longer than 6 months for their first specialist assessment. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? Yes the document will not be tabled.