Hutchison Paul: Medicines Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Hutchison Paul: Medicines Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 20 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8802. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Hunua) 
: 
 It is indeed a pleasure to speak on this Medicines Amendment Bill. Contrary to what Iain Lees-Galloway the former speaker said this is yet another positive and continuing contribution by the National Government towards improving health in New Zealand and I must say that the health situation in New Zealand by objective measurements has only improved under the Minister of Health—the outstanding Minister of Health—Tony Ryall compared with a very miserable performance in the 9 years before. But I would like to acknowledge the work of the Health Committee on this important bill. We work as a very consensual committee and it was very positive and an excellent result has been formulated. Secondly I want to thank the 43 submitters amongst which again there were some thoughtful submissions and of course I thank the Ministry of Health staff who were extraordinarily helpful to us. 
This bill is reflective of the need to deliver high-quality safe modern public services within tight budgets. I must remind the former speaker that the facts are that since 1950 the cost of living has gone up by 152 percent but expenditure on health has gone up by 452 percent. That was totally forgotten by the previous Labour Government which increased expenditure on health from $6 billion to $12 billion over 9 years with no real increase in output. It was a failure. It totally failed to realise that it is important to expend every health dollar well and that has been reversed under this National Government. But I do want to acknowledge Health Workforce New Zealand and others throughout our health system that are continuously looking for innovative new ways to work that will lead to better sooner more convenient health care for all. 
Hon Members 
: Slogans. 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: No slogan at all. 
I do note that in the submissions the New Zealand Medical Association was understandably somewhat more conservative in its submission than others. It did support delegated prescribing under the supervision of a registered medical practitioner but noted that the bill could enable any authorised prescriber including nurse practitioners and optometrists to also be responsible for delegated prescribing. I think it is understandable that it has a conservative approach because at the end of the day the responsibility for mishaps—and mishaps will always occur and when it happens with prescribing indeed they will always continue to occur—does indeed fall at the end of the day on the medical profession. But on the other hand the submissions from the nurses the pharmacists and the optometrists were far more activist in wanting to extend their prescribing rights. I have no doubt that at the end of the day the bottom line is that of patient safety and again I welcome the initiative of this Government of forming the Health Quality and Safety Commission led by the very able Professor Alan Merry in ensuring that safety is absolutely at the bottom line of any legislation that may go to new and innovative measures. 
As was pointed out this legislation is an interim measure intended to address some problematical provisions of the Medicines Act in advance of a comprehensive overhaul. That overhaul is likely to happen by mid-2016 when a single regulatory regime will occur across both countries—Australia and New Zealand—and that of course will be an extremely satisfactory advance. I do note that the nomenclature around this bill is somewhat mind-boggling. It does require a Gilbert and Sullivan alliterative command as was so ably demonstrated by Maurice Williamson in his initial speech when it comes to these new definitions of authorised designated and delegated prescribers— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: I just read what I had in front of me. 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: But he read it so well—he read it so well. I will not go into further detail now other than to say that this is yet another step in the innovative continued work of the National Government in ensuring that New Zealanders are delivered better sooner and more convenient health care.