Roy Heather: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Roy Heather: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:606;Page:3563] 
9.  
HEATHER ROY (ACT NZ) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Can she give an assurance that the ongoing senior doctors’ strikes at Timaru Hospital are not the result of the Government under-funding the South Canterbury District Health Board; if so on what basis can she give this assurance? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 I can assure the member that the strike is not a result of underfunding of the South Canterbury District Health Board. I am advised that the chief executive officer of the board also does not consider the board to be underfunded. Funding for the board for services provided within the South Canterbury district increased by $4.4 million or 7.46 percent in the current year. I also recently announced further increases of $2.8 million or 3.5 percent for the 2003-04 financial year. 
Heather Roy 
: Is the Minister aware that the doctors employed by the South Canterbury District Health Board believe that she and her office support the hard line taken by the board; if so is she willing to tell this House what she and her staff have in fact done? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The assumptions that the staff and the member have made are incorrect. It is an operational matter in the hands of the district health board as has been the case in wage negotiations for at least the past 20 years. 
Steve Chadwick 
: Has the Minister been advised of the details of the latest offer by the district health board? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The details of the offer are public knowledge. The board’s latest offer to senior doctors is $8300 over a 15-month term. That amounts to a 5 percent increase over that time. It would see the average remuneration for senior doctors increase from $153000 to about $161000. The range however goes up to $190000. 
Dr Lynda Scott 
: Will a population-based funding formula put Timaru Hospital under even more pressure leading to chief executive Craig Climo saying that the board had no option but to bring down costs; and is the Minister proud that Labour has achieved another milestone in health—senior doctors continuing to strike for the first time in New Zealand’s history? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: No. Population-based funding obviously will not do that in South Canterbury. It is interesting to note that Ian Powell from the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists put out a press statement yesterday stating that the South Canterbury District Health Board already had one of the best financial positions of all 21 boards in the country and now reports even better news with more expected additional funding. 
Judy Turner 
: Is the Minister concerned that the longer the dispute continues the greater the long-term damage to the South Canterbury District Health Board including an increasing difficulty with the recruitment of new staff and the retention of senior doctors; and what recommendations is she making to the district health board to resolve this dispute? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The resolution of the dispute is in the hands of the union and the district health board. It is up to them to resolve it. I hope they can resolve it as soon as possible. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Given the ongoing underfunding and deficit problems of various district health boards will the Minister consider a money-saving measure such as banning the direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines which would save the Government about $10 million a year? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: First of all I take issue with the statement that the Government is underfunding this sector. The funding that has gone into the sector since we became the Government has gone from about 19 percent of total Government expenditure to 21 percent in 3 years. But I agree with the member that direct-to-consumer advertising is an issue that has to be looked at seriously. That is why I asked the three professors who came to see me to provide me with an evidence-based approach as to the impact of direct-to-consumer advertising and I will be releasing their report in the very near future.