12. Question No. 12—HealthANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 12—Health12. ANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour) to the Minister of Health: What progress if any has been made in the last year towards a more sustainable public health service?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): This Government has made health a priority since day one. To mention just some of the progress we've made we've made it easier for people to get care when they need it by making doctors visits cheaper for around 600000 New Zealanders. We've begun to address long-standing workforce issues with pay equity for mental health and addiction support workers and a significant settlement for district health board (DHB) nurses. We've started work fixing up our hospitals by investing $750 million worth of new funding into capital works. This is a Government that believes all New Zealanders should have access to high-quality public health services.Angie Warren-Clark: What progress has been made to ensure DHBs can cope with an ageing and growing population?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: The staff in our DHBs are world class and deliver quality care day in and day out. This Government has recognised that DHB resources have been stretched too far for too long. That's why in Budget 2018 as the Dominion Post put it on its excellent front page health was a big winner. [Holds up front page]Hon Grant Robertson: Who's that guy?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: We put an extra $22.2 billion—that guy Minister of Finance is the Minister of Finance—into DHBs over the next four years to help them maintain services and add capacity to cope with growing demand. One Budget can't fix the legacy of underfunding we inherited but this is a Government that is firmly focused on the long-term well-being of New Zealanders.Angie Warren-Clark: What progress has been made in the last 12 months in improving mental health and well-being in New Zealand?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Improving mental health is a major challenge that requires a community-wide response. We prioritised initiatives we know will make a meaningful difference including the Mana Ake programme which is putting mental health support in primary and intermediate schools in Christchurch and Kaikōura. We've extended the nurses in schools programme to ensure decile 1 to 4 schools are covered we've funded the construction of new alcohol and drug detoxification beds in Auckland we've launched the Integrated Therapies Pilot for 18- to 25-year-olds and we've boosted the DHBs' budget for mental health services by around $200 million over the forecast period. And of course next month we will receive the report of the inquiry into mental health and addiction which we commissioned in our first 100 days. That will come to shape our response to these issues for years to come.Hon Michael Woodhouse: If health was the big winner in Budget 2018 why was the DHB funding increase lower than the previous Government's last increase and how does that constitute progress towards a more sustainable public health service?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I believe the member is expressing those things in a way which is a little misleading. He will be rolling one of the settlements into that funding increase. He's done that before. The actual increase to DHBs for running their services was the largest in nearly a decade.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Does he think that providing not a single dollar of extra funding for new medicines constitutes progress towards a more sustainable public health service?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: We continue to get excellent value from Pharmac. They continue to provide more drugs for more New Zealanders and that is excellent performance. This Government cares about making sure that the health dollar is spent as wisely as possible to make sure we get the most value we can from the health dollars for New Zealanders and we will continue to do that unapologetically.