5. Question No. 5—HealthHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 5—Health5. Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of Health: Does he believe that timely updates of the Ministry of Health's New Zealand Health statistics webpage are important?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): Yes provided the data is accurate and presented in its appropriate context. But I think what's more important to New Zealanders is delivering doctors' visits cheaper to 600000 people—including many that are $20 to $30 cheaper—employing 1500 more new nurses 600 more doctors and over 500 more allied health workers; improved cancer care; and a new front-line mental health service. This Government is focused on what is important to New Zealanders in the area of health. Hon Michael Woodhouse: Is the reason the web page entitled Services received: Acute and elective patient discharge volumes has not been updated because the number of elective surgeries has declined and is an embarrassment to the Government?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Elective surgeries are not the only measure of success of course in our public health service—Hon Amy Adams: Answer the question.Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: —but what New Zealanders want and what I want—SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. Amy Adams will stop criticising me. Start again.Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: What New Zealanders want and what I want is that people get the appropriate care where they need it when they need it. Overall we've seen an increase in planned care which covers electives as well as minor operations including many eye procedures some gynaecological procedures and skin lesion removals. In 2018-19 there were almost 5000 more planned care interventions than the previous year. We're treating more people in the right clinical setting which is more appropriate and more efficient.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Can he confirm that if the website had been updated it would show that 5775 fewer elective surgeries were performed in 2018-19 than in the previous year?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: What I can confirm is that overall we're seeing an increase in planned care which covers electives as well as minor operations including many eye procedures some gynaecological procedures and skin lesion removals. There were almost 5000 more planned care procedures over the most recent year. We are a Government that's not interested in pumping up particular statistics by performing surgeries in more expensive settings like the previous Government did with Avastin injections and skin lesion removals. We're interested in making sure more New Zealanders get more care and that the health dollar is spent wisely.Hon Michael Woodhouse: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question was about elective surgery not planned care and was not addressed.SPEAKER: I think it was addressed. I think it was addressed in the middle of a far-too-long answer.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Can he confirm that if the website had been updated it would show that 18 of 20 DHBs performed fewer elective surgeries in that period than in the previous year?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I can confirm what I said in my original answer which is that it is important that data is accurate up to date and provided in the appropriate context.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Why despite finally releasing elective surgery data to me does he refuse to allow the reports to be published on the Ministry of Health website?SPEAKER: Order! There's an assertion in that question which I think is unproven. I think the member can ask it again but without an assertion of a fact which has not been established.Hon Michael Woodhouse: I'll reword the question to bring it under the Standing Orders. Does he stand by his answer to written question No. 33445 that publication of acute and elective surgery data sets has been discontinued with effect from 1 July?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I don't have that detail in front of me but what I can confirm is that the member has used the data in the written parliamentary questions and I think—I'm advised; if I'm correctly advised on the particular dataset he's referring to—represented it in a way that is not the best way of using that data. In fact it's a data set that the previous Government didn't use themselves.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Why is he treating the public with such contempt over information that is such an important indicator of health sector performance?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I reject the assertion in that and what I would say is that after nine long years of neglect this Government is finally investing in our health services. We're investing in better-quality cancer care. We're investing in making sure more New Zealanders get more surgeries in the appropriate context because we actually care about New Zealanders. We're rebuilding our public health system. If you want to talk about contempt I think you need to look in a mirror.