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: 10 December 2013. Volume:695;Page:15358. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]10.Hon ANNETTE KING (Labour—Rongotai) to theMinister of Health: What recent reports has he received on the affordability of health care for New Zealanders?Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health): I have received dozens of recent reports on health care nearly all of which have had an affordability element. One specific report I have received on affordability is that despite tight times this Government has increased funding by an average of $500 million a year over its 5 years in Vote Health. District health boards of course are often moving around resources to meet the changing needs of New Zealanders.Hon Annette King: Does he agree with the conclusions in the Child Poverty Monitor that of concern is the number of children whose visit to a general practitioner was postponed because of cost and is this why there have been 40000 hospital admissions each year under his watch of children aged between 0 years and 14 years with diseases of poverty includingbronchiolitis acute upper-respiratory infections pneumonia and skin infections?Hon TONY RYALL: On the issue of access to general practice this Government has invested I think about $30 million in bringing free after-hours visits to general practice up and down the country. Currently about 96 percent of New Zealanders under 6 can now go to the doctor for free during the day and after hours and this is making aconsiderable impact on the ambulatory sensitive hospitalisations of children in that age group.Hon Annette King: In light of that answer is he aware that the Child Poverty Monitor now backs up the findings of the recent New Zealand Health Survey which show that over 180000 children have an unmet need to primary health care of whom 43800 could not visit their general practitioner because of cost; if so will he increase the funding provided for primary health care for the poorest sickest children from the miserable $5.60 per child per year he announced in this year’s Budget?Hon TONY RYALL: The Government has increased the subsidies to general practitioners every year. The Government has also provided some extra funding for very low-cost access and will also be making a further announcement on additional resources provided to those practices. What I can say is that despite being Minister of Health for 6 years that member never delivered—Mr SPEAKER: Order!Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister was straying into material he is not responsible for.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I think the member makes a reasonable point. The answer is now concluded.Dr Paul Hutchison: What recent reports has he seen that call for more elective surgery to be a priority?Hon TONY RYALL: I have seen a couple of very very interesting reports. One is from the Opposition spokesperson on health calling for more money for older people for elective surgery to be the priority for Government spending and then 2 days later that same Labour spokesperson was beating another drum saying that actually the priority should be on children’s health spending.Hon Annette King: Does he agree with the statement by the Prime Minister about the cost of going to a doctor: “Oh well look in the end it’s called a market and if they decide to charge a lot more then probably someone will go down the road.” and does that attitude account for the fact that tens of thousands of children miss out on vital primary health care because they cannot “go down the road”?Hon TONY RYALL: The information I have is that we have increased our funding for primary health care by well over $160 million over a 5-year period which has gone into additional services and increased subsidies for general practice and other involvements in primary care and of course I always agree with the Prime Minister. This is a Prime Minister who has been strongly supportive of the average $500 million a year extra that has gone into Vote Health under his stewardship.Hon Annette King: Does he agree with the Child Poverty Monitor findings that there are marked ethnic inequalities for all the health indicators reviewed; if so why has he allowed many district health boards to actually reduce the funding provided to Māori primary health care NGO providers over the past 2 and 3 years at a time when poverty and sickness are so high?Hon TONY RYALL: The fact is that there are many indicators that will show that the Government is making progress in respect of reducing disparities. I look at one in particular and that is immunisation where as I have previously told the House in most of our district health boards—in fact over half of them—the Māori immunisation rate is now higher than thePākehā immunisation rate.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was whether—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I invite the member to repeat her question.Hon Annette King: Does he agree with the Child Poverty Monitor findings that there are marked ethnic inequalities for all the health indicators reviewed; if so why hashe allowed many district health boards to actually reduce the funding provided to Māori primary health care NGO providers over the past 2 and 3 years at a time when poverty and sickness are so high?Hon TONY RYALL: No because as I have pointed out the immunisation target which is not one that opponents of the Government like to talk about shows that despite 9 years of rhetoric and huge Budget increases Labour was never able to close the gap in 2-year-old immunisation rates and this Government has.