11. Question No. 11—HealthANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 11—Health11. ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour) to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has the Government made about improving healthcare for South Aucklanders?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): A few days ago the Prime Minister and I had the pleasure of visiting the Manukau Health Park to bring the good news that the Government will fund improvements to facilities necessary to provide better healthcare for the people of the area. The $211.4 million we are providing will deliver up to four new operating theatres and 20 recovery beds; a new sterile services unit; over 40 new out-patient spaces; a new radiology hub including a fully integrated breast-screening service; and an expanded renal dialysis hub. All of this will be underpinned by improved supporting infrastructure. Counties Manukau DHB deserve credit for the high-quality care they provide to the vibrant and fast-growing communities of South Auckland. This Government is delivering the modern facilities they need to provide that care into the future.Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: What other work to improve Counties Manukau's facilities is under way?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: While at the Health Park last week I had the opportunity to inspect the soon-to-be-opened Otago University Dental School which I'm advised is probably the most advanced facility of its kind in the world. I'm also encouraged that work is progressing well on the second stage of the DHB's Tiaho Mai mental health unit so soon after I had the privilege of opening the newly completed stage one of this facility last year. I'm also advised that recladding work is progressing well at Middlemore Hospital's Scott Building. This work is important to me because this is a Government which is serious about making sure that behind the public-facing exteriors the vital inner workings of our health services are sound well maintained and capable of underpinning the delivery of the high-quality health services New Zealanders expect and deserve.Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: How does the investment at Counties Manukau DHB fit into the Government's wider programme of health infrastructure investment?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I became aware of the acute need for investment to fix up Counties Manukau's buildings and infrastructure very soon after becoming health Minister and acted quickly to provide it. But this is work that should have been started before the need became acute. Clearly there has been an ongoing failure to properly monitor the state of our hospitals for many many years and other health infrastructure too. It has been a priority for me as health Minister to ensure that we for the first time have a clear picture of the state of these assets. We now have this in the form of the National Asset Management Plan's stocktake of critical assets which was released last week. This is crucial information to guide the $10 billion in Crown investment in our hospitals that Treasury says we need over the next decade. I am proud of the fact that in our first term this Government is on track to deliver this with $3.5 billion in investment to date more than three times as much as the last National Government managed in nine years. But then again the previous Government could hardly invest much in our hospitals when it chose to ignore their deteriorating condition completely.