Stewart Barbara: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Stewart Barbara: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:619;Page:14938] 
8.  
BARBARA STEWART (NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does she have any major concerns relating to her portfolio; if so what is she doing to address these concerns? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 There are always concerns in the health portfolio ranging from workforce issues to operations and everything in-between. This Government has made health a priority increasing funding to almost $10 billion a year—up from $6.3 billion in 1999. We have also been proactive in trying to get ahead of problems before they get worse. People from the health sector frequently tell me that they appreciate the consistent and foresighted approach that this Government has taken towards funding and providing health care. 
Barbara Stewart 
: What concerns does she have regarding increasing demands on the health budget arising from the Government’s immigration policies? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: New migrants do bring costs with them in terms of health care but they also bring benefits. So one cannot look only at the cost of their health care one must look at the benefits they bring with them in terms of economic development and resources. 
Mike Ward 
: Will the Minister support measures to reduce obesity in children such as removing soft-drink vending machines from schools and bringing in a “fat tax” in light of the evidence that New Zealand children are amongst the fattest in the world? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: No I will not support a “fat tax”. I have seen no evidence that imposing a tax on sugar and fat will make children thinner. I would support and do support health-promoting schools that teach children and parents about the sorts of things children ought to eat. But I do not think legislation and taxation as the first measures in terms of attacking obesity are the right way to go. 
Judy Turner 
: Does the Minister agree that the No. 1 concern relating to her portfolio is a lack of qualified staff when in the last 5 days a critical shortage of nurses has been reported in hospitals ranging from Wellington to Timaru and when a shortage of general practitioners is hitting towns as small as Turangi and cities as big as Christchurch; if it is not the No. 1 concern where does it rank? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I do agree with the member that workforce issues are very important issues particularly in the areas of primary health care rural health delivery and so on. I am pleased to tell the member however that I have just received the most recent survey of nurses returning to the workforce and up to the end of 2003—last year—2807 registered nurses and midwives had returned to the workforce during that period. Why had they returned? Because of the availability now of childcare because of return-to-nursing programmes and because of changes in their circumstances. I think that is very encouraging. But we will always struggle as they do internationally with our health workforce. 
Judith Collins 
: Does she agree with Canterbury District Health Board member and Christchurch general surgeon Mr Phil Bagshaw that the Minister’s flagship district health boards are dysfunctional and undemocratic; if not does she no longer have regard for Mr Bagshaw’s sentiments now that she is the Minister? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Mr Bagshaw is a very good surgeon and I have a lot of respect for him. I do not happen to agree with his comments about district health boards but then I suspect that the member would not have agreed with his comments in 2000 that the 1993 health reforms were a complete failure. 
Barbara Stewart 
: Is she satisfied that the concentration on setting up public health organisations nationwide with and I quote “a greater emphasis on population health health promotion and preventive care” has not diverted resources away from for example cancer patients who require more specialised care; if so why? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Yes I am confident that we have not diverted funding away from areas such as cancer because all the money going into primary health care and the implementation of the primary health care strategy is new money. It is not existing money; it is new money that was voted by this Parliament. 
Judith Collins 
: I seek leave to table the front page of today’s  
Press 
 with the heading “Plea to scrap health boards”. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that front-page article in the  
Press 
. Is there any objection? There is. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I seek leave to table a  
Press 
 article of 25 August where Mr Bagshaw stated that the 1990 health reforms were a complete failure. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that article in the  
Press 
. Is there any objection? There is.