Turner Judy: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Turner Judy: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:619;Page:15321] 
8.  
JUDY TURNER (United Future) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does she stand by her commitment to providing fair access to strong public health services? 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Associate Minister of Health) 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister of Health 
: Yes. 
Judy Turner 
: Does the Minister agree that shunting 2000 patients awaiting eye surgery in Auckland back to their general practitioners for “active review” is only an administrative facade that avoids the issue of significant funding shortages for those services and can she see the ridiculous irony that those patients now faced with burgeoning paperwork are totally unable to read it? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: No I do not agree with the assertion made by the member. I have been advised that the Auckland District Health Board has sent letters out to approximately 2000 people who are graded as routine—category D—notifying them that they will be returned to their general practitioner or optometrist for review and ongoing care. That category reflects non-urgent cases many of whom would not be likely to receive treatment for several years. It is preferable for those people to have ongoing monitoring from their general practitioner or optometrist during that time. 
Nanaia Mahuta 
: Can the Minister outline some of the measures the Government has taken to improve access to health services? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: Yes I can. One of the initiatives launched by the Government this year to improve access to public health services is the orthopaedics initiative. That initiative is aimed at doubling the number of publicly funded hip and knee replacement operations performed in hospitals over the next four years. It will bring huge relief to thousands of New Zealanders who suffer high levels of immobility and crippling pain. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: How can the public have faith in the Minister’s commitment to providing fair access when I have a letter here from the professor of ophthalmology at the Auckland District Health Board who wrote back to the referring general practitioner over 400 days after the initial referral to say that 2500 patients were waiting for a first specialist appointment so he was sorry but he had to return the referral back to the general practitioner? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: The public can have faith very easily. As I noted in the answer to the primary question the district health board advises me that it has tidied up its waiting list of people waiting for ophthalmology at outpatients’ clinics. It had not been examined for some time. It is likely that a number of those people will no longer require care. Some of them may have already received it privately or may have moved out of the area. 
Heather Roy 
: Can the Minister deny that Treasury papers obtained under the Official Information Act reveal that “due to large one-off carry-forwards of unspent or delayed funds the increase between 2003-04 and 2004-05 is only $300 million” not the $550 million the Minister misleads the country with; if she does deny that what is the real increase after taking into account unspent and carried forward funding? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: No I regret I am not able to confirm that but I am certainly able to confirm that the Minister of Health does not mislead this House. 
Judy Turner 
: Does the Minister agree that when 45 percent of Auckland and nearly 60 percent of West Coast eye patients wait more than 6 months for specialist assessment and some Christchurch patients are even waiting more than 15 months there is clearly increased pressure for ophthalmology services nationally; if so what funding will she commit to addressing those debilitating conditions? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: Yes I can confirm that ophthalmology is one of New Zealand’s largest and busiest patient services. The Auckland District Health Board sees around 46000 patients a year. I support its move to be more open with the community about the available resources. The reality is that the increasing volume of referrals means that the routine cases are unlikely to received attention in the near future. It is better as I stated in answer to a previous supplementary question for those people to have regular monitoring from a general practitioner or ophthalmologist while waiting for a specialist appointment. 
Gordon Copeland 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do not believe the Minister addressed the part of the question that asked whether the Minister would put more resources into it. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister may just have a comment to make on that part of the question. 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: I would not like to pre-empt the Budget announcements of the Minister of Finance for next year. 
Judy Turner 
: If there is no plan to allocate funding to increase capacity for cataract operations will the Minister be prepared to approach the Fred Hollows Foundation in order to add New Zealand to the list of countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal that receive charitable support for the treatment of that condition; if not why not? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: The member’s supplementary question was based on a misinterpretation of my answer to the previous supplementary question. I did not say there would be no increased funding; I said I would not pre-empt the announcement of the Minister of Finance on that issue. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: I seek leave to table a letter from the Auckland District Health Board professor who after 400 days sent back the referral letter. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that letter. Is there any objection. There is. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: I seek leave to table the Auckland District Health Board performance indicators which show not one service out of 28 replies to referrals. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is there any objection to that document being tabled? There is.