Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:658;Page:6920] 
3.  
Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he still stand by his policy to deliver better sooner and more convenient health care? 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Despite the facts that the previous Labour Government left the new Government with $160 million of unfunded services to pay for around $600 million of capital projects with little money set aside for and also quietly stripped $150 million out of Vote Health before the election yes. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: How is the Minister’s health regime more convenient for 83-year-old Jim Chalmers who gave over 30 years’ service to his community as a volunteer fireman and who is now having his 2 hours a week of home help cut forcing him to clean his shower with his foot? How is that more convenient? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I think the member is referring to changes within the Canterbury District Health Board. I spoke with the chairman of that board Mr Alister James and he assured me that no money has been cut from home help by the Canterbury District Health Board. In fact more money will be spent this year as part of the district health board’s efforts to support more older people to stay independently in their homes for longer. Mr James also assured me that no one will be unsafe or unable to stay in his or her own home as a result of the current review. 
Hon Jim Anderton 
: If maintaining elderly New Zealanders in their own homes instead of rest homes is part of the National Government’s home-care strategy how does it help for the Canterbury District Health Board to halve from 2 hours to 1 hour the home help for a 90-year-old in my electorate with the advice given to her to buy a carpet sweeper to clean one room in her home each day if she is not able to use the vacuum cleaner? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: As I said the chairman of the district health board assured me that it will be spending more money this year on home help. The Canterbury District Health Board is reviewing the amount of long-term home care that many of its people get. So far 800 people have been assessed of whom 60 are receiving more home help hours as a result of that. On the other hand as part of the review it has been found that there are cases of people who have been receiving support that they are not entitled to. Mr James told me of one case of a person being paid for home help for looking after elderly parents at home despite the fact that the last of those two parents had passed away 2 years earlier. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: How is the Minister’s health regime more convenient for the 5019 injured people who have had their accident compensation scheme surgery cut and who are now joining the health-funded surgery waiting list at their local hospital at the same time as the accident compensation scheme has cut $60 million from the health surgical budget? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I am not responsible for the accident compensation budget but I can tell the member that it has I think funded an additional 7 percent of elective surgery this year. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: What recent reports has the Minister received in relation to the delivery of health services to communities in need? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I have received a report today that New Zealand’s health response to the tsunami in Samoa is now moving to the recovery phase. Plans are in place to determine the ongoing support that will be required to strengthen the health system in Samoa as people there gradually return to business as usual. The public health service is continuing to rotate staff up to Samoa and this will continue for some weeks. Although the demand for acute and emergency surgery has decreased public health staff report that around 100 to 130 people in Samoa are still being seen each day by health teams working in field clinics. Ongoing wound care and plastic surgery continue to keep hospital staff very busy and we are very grateful to the many volunteers in the public health service who are helping out there. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: How is the Minister’s health regime better for the 25000 people in Whangarei who will now be denied affordable doctors’ fees because of his changes in the rules for subsidies? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: The Government has actually increased the budget for the very low-cost access and under-sixes subsidy by $10.9 million this year bringing it to a total of $49 million. The very low-cost access component of capitation was increased by 14 percent last month and that was backdated to 1 July. That certainly will improve access for many New Zealanders in addition to the extra $30 million of general practitioner subsidies that are being funded this year.  
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: I seek leave to table the editorial from the 
 Press 
 yesterday describing the home help cuts for the elderly as “pain and worry”? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table an editorial from the 
 Press 
 yesterday. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: I seek leave to table an article from the  
Northern Advocate 
 that confirms a doctor’s view that cheap visits to general practitioners will now end for— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table an article from the  
Northern Advocate 
. Is there any objection? There is objection.