Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:661;Page:9678] 
8. 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he stand by his statement “This failure to engage the very people with the right expertise—doctors and nurses who know the patients’ needs best—is seriously eroding our ability to provide patients with the care they need.”? 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Yes—certainly as a criticism of the previous Government. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Why when the Minister repeatedly says that he is putting clinicians at the centre of his health planning is Dr Geoff Buckett a Christchurch psychiatrist and general practitioner packing his bags for Australia citing lack of consultation with clinicians as a major problem? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I am unaware of the specific situation to which the member refers. But if she is referring to a situation that is happening at the Canterbury District Health Board I think in the eating disorder service I can tell the member that yes the clinical head of the service is leaving but changes are being made to the service to improve services and these are all being led by clinicians. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Why has he agreed to the closure of the palliative care ward at Gisborne Hospital against the wishes of the doctors and nurses in Tai Rawhiti who are the specialists in this area? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: The Gisborne Hospital in relation to which I must say we inherited some very significant problems when we became the Government has decided that it can provide an equally effective service by bringing together two wards in that area. Gisborne Hospital is doing a good job of providing more service to the people of the Tai Rawhiti district. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: What reports has the Minister seen about improvements in the public health service’s ability to provide patients with the care they need? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: We have inherited some very big challenges from the previous Government. I have seen a press release from the Hutt Valley District Health Board announcing that it will finally resume breast reconstruction operations for the many women who were dumped off the referral list under the previous Government in 2006. Members will recall that up to 30000 New Zealanders were dumped off hospital waiting lists by the previous Government. I am advised that Hutt Valley District Health Board will provide 300 breast reconstruction surgeries over the next 3 years. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: How does his statement fit with the views of doctors on the West Coast who have said that they hold grave concerns for the future of Grey Base Hospital and who warn that their patients could die if services continue to decline? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: As that member will know there have been very longstanding problems in the West Coast District Health Board. That member will know that hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent by the previous Government to fly over anaesthetists from South Africa to provide services at that hospital. I can tell the member that the West Coast District Health Board is currently consulting on ways that we can secure the services for the people of the West Coast. I am not prepared to tolerate a situation where those people have a service that they cannot have any certainty about.