Verrall AyeshaBUDGET DEBATEDebate resumed from 30 May on the Appropriation (2023/24 Estimates) Bill.Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Minister of Health): It's a pleasure to take a call on the Appropriation (2023/24 Estimates) Bill. There is a lot to be optimistic about in the two portfolios I lead—Health and Research Science and Innovation—in Budget 2023. This Budget funds the critical services that New Zealanders rely on day to day and it is vital that we continue to deliver these services well.Our Government is reducing the cost of healthcare for ordinary New Zealand households by removing the $5 co-payment for prescription medicines by July this year. Removing the $5 co-pay will make it easier and cheaper for New Zealanders to access the medicines they need having a meaningful impact on many households particularly those that have multiple prescriptions to fill on a regular basis. We know the $5 charge is a barrier to some New Zealanders getting essential medicines and this is especially at a time when there are pressures on household budgets. Removing the co-pay will also help remove demand on hospitals and other health services.There's been a lot said about this initiative since it was announced but I know from my experience as a doctor there were many times when my patients didn't collect the prescriptions they desperately needed. We know that more than 135000 adults did not collect their prescriptions because of cost in 2021 and 2022. This was particularly the case for low-income families Māori Pasifika people and people with disabilities.We will make a massive difference for them with this initiative. We will make a difference for the Dunedin man who told the Minister of Finance that his mother cried when she realised the four or five prescriptions she needs each month will now be free. It will make a difference to seniors because as Grey Power advocates report some older New Zealanders are taking their medicines on every second day because they can't afford the cost of prescriptions. It will make a difference to local pharmacists who play an integral part of our health system making their businesses more sustainable so that they can be encouraged to practise at the top of their scope as we are doing through the health reforms. It will make it easier to get the essential medicines people need.Now on the other side of the House the coalition of cuts" has said that these lifesaving medicines are "nice-to-haves". They are so out of touch. The Pharmacy Guild disagrees with them and has written to them to say so.We've heard them say that "those who can pay should pay" as if that's some sort of principle to be proud of. Will that apply when you go to the emergency department? Will you need to pull out your credit card under the "coalition of cuts"? Will you need to take out a personal loan if your child needs their tonsils out? That's what it means when they say "Those who can pay should pay". This Government cares about people and keeping New Zealanders healthy even when times are tough.On this side of the House we're tackling the pay and workforce pressures in the health systems by allocating $1 billion at Budget 2023 to increase pay and increase the number of nurses by 500. We have also allocated half a billion dollars in the Te Whatu Ora budget to the primary and community care sector to reduce pay disparities over time between hospital and community health sector staff.Budget 2023 reflects my three priorities of the workforce winter preparedness and wait-lists. It includes $63 million for progressing safe staffing. Key workforce initiatives such as Te Pitomata Grants for tauira Māori and Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō nursing and midwifery leadership training will also receive funding. We are putting $99 million towards the winter preparedness plan for primary and community care closer to people's homes reducing pressures on hospital and speeding up discharge through community-based care for older people. We have allocated $118 million to help clear wait-lists enabling outsourcing insourcing Saturday operating and community initiatives to make our surgery system more efficient. We are spending $20 million to establish outreach to lift immunisation and screening coverage for Māori. Budget 2023 includes targeted investment of $37 million over the next two years to enable equitably allocated primary care funding for general practices based on high-needs populations and those providers with the highest Māori and Pacific populations. As part of this we're funding 193 additional front-line clinical team members across the country to focus on early intervention faster treatment and better support for whānau.I want to now turn to the other portfolio that I'm responsible for: Research Science and Innovation. It has an essential role in the low-emissions high-wage economy this Government wants to see for its country. Through Budget 2023 we're backing our scientists to do exactly that.The centrepiece of Budget 2023's Research Science and Innovation is three new research hubs here in Wellington making Wellington a true science city focused on health and wellbeing; oceans climates and hazards; and advanced manufacturing biotech and energy. There will be no more siloes or ivory towers. We'll be connecting our researchers across institutions to enable the good collaboration and linkage to industry that will get our economy and our science sector humming.Another matter really close to my heart is progressing the role of young researchers in our science system. They are our future science leaders and this Government is backing them with close to $50 million in support for them—be that across fellowships for early- and mid-career researchers to make sure that that hamster wheel of grants doesn't force them out of the system and that they can stay on being productive.In addition we're also going to link our talented young scientists and researchers into industry to make sure that they can get the economy to put their skills to work. We'll do this through setting up applied PhDs that will be linked between universities and Crown research institutes.Through all of this we're also making sure that our senior researchers can showcase New Zealand's ability on the world stage. We've joined the Horizon Europe research initiative; we're one of the first countries outside of Europe to join that European Union initiative. This means that our scientists can collaborate with the best in the world to be working on some of humanity's great challenges like health and climate change mission-led science.This is the optimistic and bright picture the Labour Government is supporting through Budget 2023. To get our post-pandemic recovery going we are investing in science and innovation. Now that is an entirely different vision for our country on this side of the House than what you'll hear from the "coalition of cuts". I am very certain that the investment we are laying down now will build a better future both in terms of the health and wellbeing in our community and the vigour and ambition and innovation in our economy. I commend this bill to the House."