Scott Lynda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Scott Lynda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:615;Page:10878] 
11.  
Dr LYNDA SCOTT (National—Kaikoura) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does she believe spiritual healing offers a better health outcome for Maori than improved access to elective surgery; if so why? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Funding of elective surgery is a key priority for this Government. Although I have no personal experience of the value of spiritual healing I do not believe that spiritual healing and conventional treatment are necessarily mutually exclusive. I am aware that there are some people who get great strength from prayer for example or from traditional healing methods be they Chinese European or Maori. I am not prepared to mock spiritual values that people believe add to their overall healthiness. 
Dr Lynda Scott 
: As the Counties Manukau District Health Board has a lower intervention rate for cataracts compared with other Auckland district health boards and has raised the bar to get general surgery orthopaedics gynaecology and ear nose and throat surgery does the Minister think it is appropriate to use scarce health dollars—and the Counties Manukau board had a deficit of $47 million last year—to fund a Maori health strategy that includes alternative Maori medicines and spiritual healing which has never been shown to improve health outcomes? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I am pleased to say that the Counties Manukau board is one of the Auckland district health boards that has received an additional $5 million for elective surgery and come the new orthopaedic project will receive more. But I do not think I could do any better than quote from the Hon Georgina te Heuheu who in 1999 as Associate Minister of Health said: “Having health services Maori feel comfortable with in using is an important part of addressing health statistics between Maori and Pakeha. If the value of traditional Maori healing clinics encourage people to seek advice early that is a very good thing for everyone.” 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I know that you have already said this to members but I think the Minister of Health should take some notice on the basis that it is a health issue. She should turn her microphone towards herself and speak into it. What she does at the moment is she turns it away rocks in her seat then moves towards it and blasts us out. I am sure Occupational Safety and Health would be quite concerned about the voice level when she does rock towards the microphone. It should be turned towards her and then she should speak in a nice calm way. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I think the member has made a valid point. 
Nanaia Mahuta 
: Can the Minister clarify whether the Government currently funds spiritual needs in hospitals? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Yes. This Government like its predecessor provides funds towards the hospital chaplaincy service—a Christian-based healing service that provides spiritual help to everybody who wants it. We fund it to the tune of about $1.2 million a year. That is slightly more than the amount we fund Maori traditional healing which was first funded in 1995 and was funded every year that National was in power right until it left. 
Heather Roy 
: Will the clinical efficacy of Maori massage and prayer be assessed using the same standards demanded of doctors; if not why should Maori accept sub-standard health-care? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I do not believe that Maori would accept sub-standard health-care. However like those who like acupuncture naturopathy or maybe osteopathy they will decide whether there is some value in it. But I can tell the member that traditional Maori healing was assessed and reviewed in 1996. On the basis of that assessment the previous Government believed it was worthwhile continuing to fund it every year. The outcomes of that review were interesting in that doctors themselves—I think it was 61 percent of doctors—said that they would be prepared to refer their patients to traditional Maori healing services. 
Dr Lynda Scott 
: As Maori are overrepresented in the hospitals’ top ten conditions including asthma and diabetes will the Minister explain how Maori getting taxpayer-funded massage spiritual healing and karakia will reduce the number suffering from the effects of diabetes and asthma? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I do not believe that it would necessarily reduce the incidence of diabetes and I do not think anyone is claiming that. But I think there would be many people in this House who believe that the power of prayer for example helps a lot of people feel a lot better about the condition they have. I find it strange that the member would want to mock that.