Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 07 July 2011. Volume:673;Page:19902. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
12. 
GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he stand by his statement to the Cabinet Expenditure Control Committee that “we may need to take some tough choices regarding the scope and range of services the public health system can provide to New Zealanders”? 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Within the context yes. 
Grant Robertson 
: Is one of the changes to the scope and range of services that he meant the cutting of beds of the emergency department and of palliative care services at Hawera Hospital which have been described by the chairman of the NgatiRuanuirununga as “a drastic and unacceptable reduction in health services”? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: There is a consultation currently under way on services at Hawera. The proposals do include the maintenance of maternity beds palliative care beds and short-stay emergency department beds. They are all in the plan along with after-hours general practitioner services. The Government and the district health board believe that the people of South Taranaki deserve better facilities and services and we are consulting on those. 
Grant Robertson 
: How can he interpret the people of South Taranaki as getting better services when he is cutting $1.1 million worth of services to Hawera Hospital? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: First of all $1 million is about 0.3 percent of the district health board’s budget. The important issue here is that—[ 
Interruption 
] One of the biggest issues faced by the people of South Taranaki which we have inherited from the previous Government is a difficulty with regard to general practice access. That is part of this plan: to improve general practice access and also to improve access to other specialist services. The consultation on the plan is under way. 
Chester Borrows 
: What advice has the Minister received about proposed changes to health services in South Taranaki as to whether they are set in concrete or is this a genuine public consultation? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I have seen a number of reports. One report said the emergency services at Hawera Hospital were privatised to a private company under the previous Labour Government—[ 
Interruption 
] They were privatised under the previous Labour Government. And it fell over. I have also seen another report about a comprehensive consultation process under way with the people of South Taranaki about how best to meet future health needs. It is important to remember that no decisions have been made by the district health board and that the people of South Taranaki deserve something more future-orientated than what they have at the moment. 
Grant Robertson 
: Given that 8000 people have now signed a petition to retain the services at Hawera Hospital does he stand by the statement he “repeatedly” made to local MP Chester Borrows as reported in the  
Taranaki Daily News 
 last month that “health services in South Taranaki will not change unless the people want them to change.”? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: That is why there is a public consultation under way. It is interesting to note that I do not think there was any public consultation when the previous Government privatised the emergency department at Hawera Hospital—privatised without consultation. 
Grant Robertson 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I know that I began the question with the word “Given” but I did then ask “does he stand by the statement” and the Minister did not make any attempt to answer that question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member is clever enough to know that once he starts a question with “Given” he leaves a lot of scope for a Minister’s answer. 
Hon Heather Roy 
: Can he advise whether one of the reasons that tough choices are required is the fact that the health sector suffered a 15 percent drop in doctors’ productivity and an 11 percent drop in nurses’ productivity under the previous Labour Government? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I am aware of the numbers the member refers to. This National Government is doing 20000 more elective procedures a year. There are 1000 extra nurses and 500 extra doctors. We have put in place programmes to make wards more productive—this is being led particularly by nurses—and we have seen a remarkable improvement in waiting times in emergency departments cancer treatment times and immunisation rates. I think productivity is on the way up because the clinical staff of New Zealand know they have a coalition Government that is prepared to back them and their services. 
Hon Heather Roy 
: What is his best estimate of the number of operations and procedures that were lost as a result of the massive fall in productivity under Labour and are there any estimates of the pain and suffering this caused to New Zealanders? 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I ask you to rule on whether the assertion in that is necessary for the question; if not I think you are obliged to rule it out. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: My goodness does the member really want me to rule out assertions in questions on a regular basis? 
Hon Heather Roy 
: Point of order— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Before I hear the honourable member I say the question asked the Minister about what advice he had received on the reasons for the reduction in productivity. In answering it he will need to be careful because he is not responsible for the policies of the previous Government. He can report on any advice he has received but he must not give any personal views about the previous Government. That is not his responsibility. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: It is difficult to obtain an estimate of the number of operations and procedures that were lost as a result of the massive fall in productivity under the previous Labour Government but I suspect the appropriate number is 30000 which is the number of patients culled off waiting lists under the previous Government even though they had been promised they would get treatment. 
Hon Heather Roy 
: I seek leave to table a report entitled  
Productivity Performance of New Zealand Public Hospitals 1998/99 to 2005/06  
by Mani Maniparathy. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The report was prepared by whom? 
Hon Heather Roy 
: The author was Mani Maniparathy. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.