King Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 19 November 2013. Volume:695;Page:14897. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.Hon ANNETTE KING (Labour—Rongotai) to theMinister of Health: Does he stand by all his answers to Oral Question No. 9 yesterday?Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health): Yes within the context they were given and in particular that a record 23000 patients received orthopaedic treatment in the last year.Hon Annette King: In light of his answer yesterday that there are “two separate figures” relating to patients waiting for surgery—those on a waiting list at a certain date and those “who did not even get on the waiting list”—can he inform the House how disabled and sick a patient must be before they can get on the official waiting list?Hon TONY RYALL: That is a clinical decision that would be made by the various clinicians who are assessing those patients. What I can tell the member though—and thank you for the opportunity to be able to say this—is that in the last year we have provided 40000 more elective operations compared with 5 years ago. That is a really significant achievement.Hon Annette King: As he sets the level of funding that the district health boards receive thereby influencing the priorities they implement does he believe that a patient who suffers the pain of bone graunching on bone who is forced to climb stairs on his hands and knees sounds sick enough to get on his official waiting list for surgery?Hon TONY RYALL: The first thing I would say is that if that member wants to bring that case to me I will look into it. It is better to help patients than to use them. On the second issue of funding this Government has put in an average of $500 million a year extra into the health service and millions more into elective surgery. What is interesting about all these questions is that the Opposition parties have been promising to cut back on elective surgeries.Mr SPEAKER: Supplementary question Melissa Lee. [Interruption] Order! I have called Melissa Lee. By the sound of it there was an interjection which I did not hear. If a member took objection then stand and raise that objection with me. I have called Melissa Lee.Melissa Lee: What reports has he received confirming that in June 2005 there were around 31000 patients booked in for assessments or surgery who had been waiting over 6 months and what reports has he seen of surgeons’ views as to what happened to these patients?Hon TONY RYALL: An independent review by the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General confirmed that in June 2005 around 30000 patients had been waiting over 6 months. I have seen many other reports that around 30000 patients were summarily removed from these lists soon after this by Government edict. Amongstthese was a report of 74 of the Canterbury District Health Board’s 80 surgeons signing a letter condemning Labour’s waiting list cull of 5000 patients off Canterbury’s list.Mr SPEAKER: Order! That answer is sufficient. [Interruption] Order!Hon Annette King: Does a patient who was dumped from the waiting list earlier this year and now takes at least eight painkillers a day who cannot sit without wincing and uses crutches to get about sound sick enough to get on his official waiting list after 5 years of his stewardship?Hon TONY RYALL: If the member is referring to the case that was in the ChristchurchPress a few days ago it is my understanding that that person was not on a waiting list so the claim is not valid. However that patient is being considered by the Canterbury District Health Board. But the great news in Canterbury of course is that in the last 5 years at the Canterbury District Health Board we have increased elective surgeries by 48 percent compared with a 13 percent cut under Annette King.Hon Annette King: Does a patient who has lost the ability to stand whose general practitioner can no longer manage his pain and he is likely to go into a wheelchair forcing him to sell his home sound sick enough to get on his official waiting list or does he have to stay on the hidden list and remain just one of the Minister’s figures?Hon TONY RYALL: Let me review this straight away. There is no hidden list. That is about as reliable as Annette King’s Official Information Act request where the number was inexplicably changed.Hon Annette King: I wish to table two documents in light of the Minister’s claiming—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Just describe the two documents.Hon Annette King: The first is a letter from the Waikato District Health Board stating that 376 patients were denied surgery and sent back to their general practitioners because they could not—Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is adequately described. The second document please.Hon Annette King: The second one is a letter from the MidCentral District Health Board stating that 161 patients were denied surgery and sent back to their general practitioner.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I will put the leave for those two letters—one from the Waikato District Health Board and one from the MidCentral District Health Board. Is there any objection to those two letters being tabled? There is none. They can be tabled.Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table an editorial from a small provincial paper—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume her seat. If members want to search for that they can find it for themselves.