King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 13 April 2016. Volume:713;Page:10462. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement that “there’s a difference between surgery people actually need and surgery people think they need”?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): Absolutely. There is a difference between a telephone survey of what a person thinks they need and a trained doctor’s medical assessment. It is like the difference between how a party thinks it is doing and how it is actually doing. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order!Hon Annette King: Is he aware that eight district health boards have not performed the number of hip and knee operations expected of them since 2011 according to figures released by the Ministry of Health with a total of 2181 operations not done; and is that because the patients do not need the operations—they just think they do?Mr SPEAKER: Either of those two supplementary questions.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: That is absolutely incorrect. I mean overall we have done 2092 extra hips and knees over that period 110000 extra appointments across the system and 50000 extra elective operations across all specialities. So no.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table data released to me from the Ministry of Health under the Official Information Act showing the trend in procedures over time.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that Ministry of Health information. Is there any objection? There is none.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: Does Sharon Cooper of Christchurch a 35-year-old who has been refused assessment for a knee operation three times even though her GP and orthopaedic surgeon say she has advanced osteoarthritis and cannot walk up and down stairs squat or kneel—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Bring the question to a conclusion.Hon Annette King: —need surgery or does she just think she does?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: As the member herself has said in the past it is better to help patients than to use them. So if the member would like to send the details through to me I would be happy to take a look.Hon Annette King: Does Janet Frame a 66-year-old who has been waiting for a shoulder operation recommended by her surgeon and who is now reliant on home support and injections for pain and has become inactive just think she needs surgery or could she actually need it?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I am obviously not familiar with that lady’s case. But once again rather than using her why do you not send the details through to me and we will see whether we can help her?Hon Paula Bennett: May I ask the Minister what reports he has had on elective surgeries? [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Well no I do not know yet whether it is an attack on the Labour Party at all. I have got to listen to the question and I cannot—[Interruption] Order! [Interruption] Order! I am not going to warn Dr Megan Woods again. If she continues to yap all the way through question time then she can do it from outside the Chamber.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I have had a report from a Mrs J A of New Plymouth who writes: “Dear sir I’d just like to inform you I had a hip operation on the 7th of March. I’d like to let you know the service was excellent from the op to the food and aftercare—tops all the way. The doctors and nurses couldn’t do enough for me. Keep up the good work; it’s appreciated not only by me but by others. Annette King needs to go. I remain a very satisfied customer. Janet Armstrong.”Mr SPEAKER: So for the Hon Annette King that is a very good reason why I cannot anticipate an answer.