Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:641;Page:11484] 
7.  
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he still stand by his previous mark of the health system of 5.5 out of 10; if not what mark would he give it now? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON (Associate Minister of Health) 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister of Health 
: Noting that the same question was asked by the member on 1 May and on 16 May I reply in roughly the same vein on behalf of the Minister. He marks the health system as continually improving and expanding because this Labour-led Government has always made health investment a high priority and will continue to do so. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Is the Minister aware that according to the latest information from the six neonatal units around the country if a highly at-risk premature baby is born this afternoon not one suitable intensive care cot is available for that child anywhere in the country when this Government was warned 3½ years ago under Annette King that this crisis was on the way? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: I am aware that extra neonatal units have been installed in New Zealand and I am also aware that on the watch of the National Party babies were being shipped out to Australia for a long time and that the member who asked the question was in that Government. 
Maryan Street 
: Has the Minister received any recent reports on New Zealand trends in basic health indices such as life expectancy? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: Yes I have. Life expectancy is perhaps the most basic index of national health and New Zealand’s continues to improve with a gain of 2.2 years for females and 3.5 years for males between 1995-97 and 2002-04. [ 
Interruption 
] Additionally there is more good news which of course the member interjecting never wants to hear because her glass is always half empty. [ 
Interruption 
] I see; the National Party was in Government between 2002-04—I must have missed that period; I must have been somewhere else. Additionally the gap between Maori and non-Maori life expectancy after some years of widening has narrowly and slightly of course over recent years improved. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Is it not churlish to be talking about life expectancy at a time when no suitable intensive care cot is available anywhere in New Zealand for a highly at-risk premature baby born today when 3½ years ago this very document that I am holding landed on Annette King’s desk telling her that there was a desperate need to increase the number of those most serious intensive care beds and we find today 3½ years later that there are two extra beds? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: It is interesting that the member has raised the issue of the care of infants because infant mortality rates in New Zealand—seeing that the member has raised the issue—are steadily declining down from 7.1 deaths per 1000 in 1997 when the member’s Government was in power to 5.1 per 1000 live births in the year ended 31 March 2007. That is a 28 percent reduction in infant mortality. I would have expected that the shroud-waver from Whakatane would be celebrating that rather than being as miserable as he always is in this House. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Does the Minister agree with me that the Government can talk all it likes about the $5 billion a year extra in spending or the $1.2 billion being spent on hospital buildings but the fact is that when it comes to providing suitable intensive care beds for the most at-risk premature children in this country being born today there are only two more of those cots available than when this Government was warned 3½ years ago about this crisis? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: It may come as a great shock to the member who asks me whether I agree with him but I have never agreed with anything that member has ever said in this House on either side of the House. I point out to him that an infant born today in New Zealand has a greater life expectancy and a greater chance of living than an infant born under the care of the Government that he represented. 
Dr Jonathan Coleman 
: Is the Minister aware that in the past few days Dunedin and Timaru hospitals have told patients to stay away from their accident and emergency departments because they cannot cope; and given that in 1996 Helen Clark said: “We know that winter brings an increase in health problems … But our hospitals must be ready to cope with the problems. It just isn’t good enough to have basic services break down …” how does he explain his total failure to address the problem in our accident and emergency departments? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: Even the meanest of minds knows that this Government has made extraordinary increases in investment in the health sector. Given that fact we wonder what kind of health system we would have had under the billions of dollars of tax cuts promised by National in every single election since we have been in Government. I would like the smoking doctor over there to explain that to the people of New Zealand sometime. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: I seek leave to table two documents. The first is the latest hospital cot status which shows there are no— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: The second is the Ministry of Health’s review of neonatal intensive care provision— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.