Hutchison Paul: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations  and State Enterprises — In Committee 
Hutchison Paul: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations  and State Enterprises — In Committee 
[Volume:626;Page:21303] 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Port Waikato) 
: 
 Thank you Madam Chair for the opportunity to speak in this very important debate on the financial reviews of Crown entities public organisations and State enterprises. It is very important to look at these reviews in the context of some of the things that politicians like Annette King and Helen Clark said in the 1990s. At that stage of events they went around the country saying they would cut bureaucracy and blitz the waiting lists. They said that if they taxed people a little more they could fix health and education. They said they would deliver. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: I just remind the member that we are talking about the estimates. 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: I absolutely agree with that. 
If we look at the 2003-04 financial review of the Auckland District Health Board what do we see in terms of delivery? We see that the board has a current deficit of $44.7 million. In 2002 the Minister of Heath told the Health Committee that there would be no deficits by 2005. They would be gone—blitzed; nothing there. But what do we see in the report of the Health Committee? We see that in 2003-04 that board has a deficit of $44.7 million. 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: How much? 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: It is $44.7 million and according to our advice that is likely to increase in the 2004-05 financial year to more than $83.3 million. The Minister of Health who is the Minister in the chair told the select committee in 2002 that there would be no deficits in any of the health boards. She said the combined deficit would be nothing—it would be blitzed. 
That is just like what she said about the waiting lists during the 1990s. What do we know about the waiting lists in the district health boards in 2004? Let us just have a little snapshot because the Minister is keen on snapshots. The number of patients waiting longer than 6 months for their first specialist assessment is 2602. According to the Minister of Health that is blitzing the waiting list! What about one of her other commitments about delivering? 
Clayton Cosgrove 
: Scalpel! 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: Well if only she had got the scalpel out and sorted them out! What about patients waiting without a commitment to treatment and whose priorities are higher than the actual treatment threshold? These are patients who undoubtedly are pretty unwell who are in pain and often are losing their vision. How many were there? There were 351. This is the Minister who said Labour would deliver and blitz the waiting list and in the Auckland District Health Board in 2004 1261 patients were given a commitment to treatment but were not treated within 6 months. 
That is the sort of clarity that Annette King gave patients when she went tearing around the country in the 1990s saying that Labour would blitz waiting lists cut bureaucracy and deliver results. But in the Auckland District Health Board in the year in question there were literally thousands of patients waiting for longer than 6 months—patients who had worse situations than those required to receive treatment and who did not receive treatment and patients who were given a commitment to treatment but were not treated within 6 months. 
Hon Marian Hobbs 
: There was a new hospital being built. 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: Well there was a new hospital and who went and opened it? 
Hon Annette King 
: Nobody yet. 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: We can guarantee that when someone does open it—well there is every chance that she will not get the chance. In 2 or 3 months’ time there will be a new Government. The Minister will blame the previous Government for any cost that might have accrued to Auckland City Hospital. It is as predictable as night following day that the Minister will once again not accept responsibility. She will blame the last National Government—after 5 years and $3.3 billion. It is probably only $3 billion I say to Mrs King but to her that does not mean much because she gets nothing from it.