Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:624;Page:19313] 
7.  
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Is she confident that all health providers are adequately prepared for an outbreak of bird flu and have “access to the required personal protective equipment” as required by the National Health Emergency Plan: Infectious Diseases; if so why? 
Hon PETE HODGSON (Associate Minister of Health) 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister of Health 
: Yes. Personal protective equipment is currently stocked by all district health boards and is sufficient to protect health staff against an outbreak of bird flu. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Do we actually have a national stockpile or do we just have enough equipment to cover average usage as the Minister stated last week in reply to my written question; how much do we have in the stockpile? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: Although we have enough currently to meet the needs of all health workers the Government is exploring the ordering of further supplies the details of which I am afraid I am unable to make available to the House because we are in commercial negotiations and if I give either price or volume then we will destroy those negotiations. 
Nanaia Mahuta 
: Can the Minister clarify whether a vaccine to protect against bird flu has been developed yet? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: No there is no vaccine to protect against bird flu. However that issue is being pursued by the World Health Organization. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Can the Minister confirm that the extremely limited stocks of antiviral drugs that we have in New Zealand—the 20000 treatments in the stockpile—have already passed their original use-by date; and can she assure the House that the new stocks of antiviral drugs that have only recently been ordered are not also second-hand outdated stocks that have passed their use-by date? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I cannot confirm either the first or the third part of the member’s question but I can confirm that the increased doses were not recently ordered. The issue was first brought to Cabinet informally last year. 
Sue Kedgley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. It seems to me that a Minister of Health should be able to answer a question as to whether some very crucial antiviral drugs that we need to protect us from bird flu have passed their use-by date. Could I get an answer? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Minister addressed the question. I do not know whether the Minister wants to add any further comment as he was about to rise. 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I regret not. The primary question was not about viral drugs; it was about personal protective equipment. Had the member stuck to the primary question I would have been able to produce for her I hope good answers. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Now that we are safely past Mr Hide’s question No. 6 may I invite him to return to the House? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: No. 
Sue Kedgley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Further to the Minister’s response I point out that my question asked whether the Minister was confident that all health providers were adequately prepared for an outbreak of bird flu and that the only way to be prepared is to have stocks of antiviral drugs because that is the only protection—along with masks—that can be provided. So could the Minister please answer my question? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Minister addressed the question. The member may not be satisfied with the answer. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Further to the Minister’s earlier responses is she saying that she has no idea how many of the essential surgical masks are stockpiled; if so if the bird flu were to arise in the next few weeks or months would she expect front-line medical staff to risk their lives by working without sufficient antivirals or even without adequate protective masks and why has she not learnt from severe acute respiratory syndrome that we need to be prepared? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I have tried to advise the member that right now we have sufficient stocks for health workers. In the event of a pandemic the need for protective equipment goes wider than health workers; it goes into the community. We do not currently have sufficient stock for that. That stock is being ordered. The quanta are significant; they are not however publicly available.