Stewart Barbara: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Stewart Barbara: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:615;Page:11370] 
3.  
BARBARA STEWART (NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does she have any concerns regarding current waiting lists; if so what does she intend to do about them? 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Associate Minister of Health) 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister of Health 
: Managing waiting lists remains a key priority for this Government and we will continue to focus on issues as they arise. That is why we will soon be announcing a major new orthopaedic project for example. 
Barbara Stewart 
: What has the Minister done since 1999 to fix waiting lists given that every day we are bombarded with stories such as: “Many gallstone patients in Auckland must now suffer at least four attacks of severe pain and vomiting in a year to qualify for surgery.” and can she explain what she intends to do about this crisis? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: I would like to specifically address the issue of gall bladders that the member raised in her supplementary question. Ten percent of New Zealanders have gallstones and of that 10 percent only 4 percent will have symptoms in any 1 year. A significant number of those people do not require surgery. My understanding is that accepted clinical evidence states that a single attack of biliary colic will not warrant surgery. It is usual and accepted practice to wait several months to a year to determine whether there are recurrent attacks. 
Steve Chadwick 
: What are some of the actions that this Government has taken to address the issue of waiting lists? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: Unfortunately I do not have time to go through them all but amongst other things we have increased spending on health by nearly $3 billion; we have made performances of the district health boards publicly available; we are committed to an orthopaedic project to address the issues raised by the Orthopaedic Association to ensure that people get better access to major joint surgery; we have increased the number of radiation therapists in training across the 3 years from 46 in 1999 to 104 in 2004; we have improved working conditions for health professionals through pay increases; and we have ensured a programme of replacement for new linear accelerators. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: Why are unacceptably long delays in treatment forcing men with prostate cancer to have to join women with breast cancer in travelling to Australia for private radiation treatment; after 4 long years what will she do about it? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: In addition to the points that I raised in answer to the supplementary question asked immediately prior to Dr Hutchison’s question in 1996-97 3090 publicly funded cardiac procedures for example were delivered. In 2002-03 that number had risen to 5333 publicly funded cardiac procedures. Another example is that in 1998-99 34555 people waited longer than 6 months for treatment. By 2002-03 that had dropped to 10178 people. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: There were far too many interjections and the answer was too long. Interjections will be in the third person not in the second or members will not be making any more today. 
Judy Turner 
: In light of the fact that Auckland cancer patients are still waiting up to 14 weeks for treatment or have to travel to Australia while the district health board desperately tries to fill 10 radiotherapy positions with overseas professionals can the Minister give the New Zealand public an assurance that when the publicly funded radiation therapy trainees graduate at the end of this year they will ignore offers of more lucrative positions overseas and help to reduce waiting lists here despite the fact that they are not bonded to work in New Zealand and are even told in their recruitment brochure that: “Medical radiation therapy is an international profession. If you decide to travel the world is your oyster.”; if so why? 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was obviously a very long question. You may recall that the words “in the light of” were used at the start of that question. Yesterday you pulled up members on the Opposition side of the House for not starting a question with a question word. “In the light of” does not seem to me to be a question; it is a statement as is “given” and as are various other things that we get pulled up for. I think that although the Labour Party is relatively new here it is getting on in time. We are halfway through this Parliament. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I thank the member. As a former teacher myself I acknowledge his expertise in this area. I will now tighten up very considerably on that. The word “given” is not a question word so that word will not be allowed in future. “In the light of” is not a question either. Now we will have specific questions asked and the first few words can be ignored. We will now have the specific question answered. 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: I am happy to do that. In relation to waiting times for the Auckland District Health Board I agree with the member’s concerns and it is true that the Auckland District Health Board is currently experiencing delays in radiotherapy treatment. It has an establishment of 50 medical radiation therapists but has seven vacancies. I am pleased that all other centres are working to capacity and are managing to commence treatment within the agreed time. The Auckland District Health Board has approved the purchase of a linear accelerator which is expected to be commissioned by the end of this year. 
Barbara Stewart 
: Why are New Zealanders in their thousands waiting for cancer treatment knee operations hip operations heart surgery and eye surgery etc. with scheduled surgery repeatedly postponed with the explanation that: “There are no beds so don’t come.” or that they do not qualify under the “pain ranking system”; is it not a glaring fact that despite an extra $147.7 million in funding from the Ministry of Health the Minister of Health is failing to provide basic care for New Zealanders? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: In relation to the last point that the member raised that is absolute nonsense frankly. I recommend that the member and others who share similar concerns read the recommendations contained in the Health Workforce Advisory Committee’s recently published document. They outline that a significant lack of investment in both the infrastructure and training needs of our health workforce contributed to the current shortfall in access to treatment. That is why the Government has invested significantly more—nearly $3 billion more—in the health system part of which will address the very skill shortage that caused the concerns raised by the member. 
Barbara Stewart 
: Is the Minister concerned that the practice of referring patients back to general practitioners in order to artificially shorten waiting lists is also having a negative effect on the working conditions of general practitioners and is contributing to an expected decline in full-time general practitioner numbers; if not why not? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: No because I have a far higher level of trust in the professionalism of our general practitioners than that member clearly indicates. 
Barbara Stewart 
: I seek leave to table an article outlining the pain ranking system being used at the Waitemata District Health Board. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Barbara Stewart 
: I seek leave to table an article outlining a survey that shows that general practitioners are dissatisfied and that their numbers are declining. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that article. Is there any objection? There is.