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Health Minister Jonathan Coleman is encouraging people where possible to keep EDs free for emergencies this festive season.

“Around 3,000 people were seen in emergency departments across the country on Christmas Day last year,” says Dr Coleman.

“This is a busy time of year for our health workforce, so it is important that we keep emergency departments free for emergencies.”

Anyone with a health concern can call Healthline on 0800 611116 or Plunketline on 0800 933922.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and ACC Minister Nikki Kaye say consultation starts today on ACC support towards free kids’ doctors’ visits.

“From July next year, children aged 13 years and under will be able to access free doctors’ visits and prescriptions,” says Dr Coleman.

“This will make healthcare more accessible, take pressure off busy hospital emergency departments and improve the wellbeing of our children.”

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says a scheme to fill hard-to-staff health roles is making a real difference to the career choices of graduating health professionals.

“New Zealand produces quality healthcare professionals and we want as many as possible to stay here to work after they graduate,” says Dr Coleman.

“The Government established the Voluntary Bonding Scheme five years ago to provide an incentive for graduates to take up roles in communities and professions which are identified as being harder to fill.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says all pregnant women will be routinely screened for diabetes as part of new national guidelines.

“Diabetes is one of our biggest health challenges in New Zealand. We need to ensure best practice for screening and managing diabetes in pregnancy to reduce the health risks for both mothers and babies,” says Dr Coleman.

“The new national guidelines on gestational diabetes will ensure more consistency across DHBs, and all pregnant women will have access to early diagnosis and management of diabetes in pregnancy.”

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says today’s visit to South Canterbury DHB marks the end of a 20 DHB tour to engage with the health sector.

“Just two days after I was appointed Health Minister in October I began a 20 DHB tour as getting out and talking with the health workforce was a priority,” says Dr Coleman.

Dr Coleman has met with DHB Chairs and CEOs, as well as a range of clinical leaders, doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and staff.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman paid tribute last night to New Zealand’s top rugby players and administrators at the annual New Zealand Rugby Union awards. 

“It has been another exceptional year for New Zealand rugby and I congratulate all the winners and finalists across all categories. They should be very proud of their contribution to rugby and to New Zealand,” says Dr Coleman.

“It is great to see the international success of our All Blacks and Black Ferns flowing through to increased numbers taking to the field.”

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman welcomes High Performance Sport New Zealand’s investment in national sport organisations for the next financial year.

“The investment decisions announced today by High Performance Sport New Zealand mean our top athletes will continue to make their presence felt on the world stage,” says Dr Coleman.

“It locks in the support our elite athletes need as they work towards success at key events next year and the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says more graduate nurses are obtaining jobs sooner as a result of the nationwide recruitment system.

“The national recruitment system (ACE) helps to match new nurses with employers. It enables DHBs to get the graduates they want, and helps new nurses find jobs in their region and specialty areas,” says Dr Coleman.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has today launched a national three year Cancer Plan at Wellington Hospital.

“From prevention and early detection, to diagnosis and treatment and follow-up care - an enormous amount has been achieved in cancer services over the last six years,” says Dr Coleman.

“The New Zealand Cancer Plan 2015-2018 brings all this work together and signals activities that need to happen over the next three years to ensure people with cancer receive even better, faster care.”

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says young people are now able to access specialist help for alcohol and drug problems more quickly.

“The most recent data from DHBs shows that 81 per cent of youth aged 19 or under were seen within three weeks of contacting a youth alcohol and drug service – that’s an eight per cent lift compared to 2012,” says Dr Coleman.

“This means the sector is currently exceeding the target of 80 per cent set for mid-2015.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says 82 New Zealanders have registered their interest in joining the international fight against Ebola.

“There has been a very high level of response from New Zealanders who are keen to support the Australian-flagged mission to Sierra Leone to operate a 100-bed Ebola treatment centre,” says Dr Coleman.

“People with a range of skills have registered, including nurses, GPs, pharmacists, and administrators.”

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and Pacific Peoples Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga say a collection of short films will help raise awareness about rheumatic fever.

“Rheumatic fever is a serious disease which starts with a sore throat and can lead to lifelong heart, joint, skin and nerve problems,” says Dr Coleman.

“The Government has set a target of reducing the rates of rheumatic fever by two-thirds by 2017. To achieve this we have invested more than $65 million over six years to fight the disease.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman welcomes the passing of the Crimes (Match-fixing) Amendment Bill in Parliament today.

“Match-fixing is a growing problem internationally and it is the number one threat to the integrity, value and growth of sport,” says Dr Coleman.

“In New Zealand we are not immune to this growing threat. The passing of this Bill is an important step in protecting the integrity of our sport. 

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the latest report on mental health services in New Zealand shows improvements in access to care.

“The Office of the Director of Mental Health’s annual report shows a decline in waiting times for people accessing mental health care,” says Dr Coleman.

“This improvement in waiting times was in a year when a record number of people were able to receive care, and it is a tribute to the dedicated people who work in this often challenging part of the health system.”

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman says it is important to recognise the role of sports volunteers as part of celebrating International Volunteer Day on Friday.

“Every year 750,000 Kiwis give 50 million hours of their time volunteering in sport,” says Dr Coleman.

“International Volunteer Day is a great opportunity to recognise the valuable and wide-reaching work that our volunteers in the sport sector do.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says a record 728 students received a Hauora Māori scholarship award this year, the highest number since the scholarship fund began in 2000.

“The Hauora Māori scholarship fund supports and encourages more Māori into a career in the health sector,” says Dr Coleman.

“The number of scholarship applicants has grown significantly in recent years. This year in the medical category alone, 147 Māori students were awarded a scholarship – an increase of 50 percent since 2009.”

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says new initiatives under the Cancer Service Improvement Fund are delivering better, faster cancer treatment.

“A range of projects are underway as part of the first round of the Cancer Service Improvement Fund which was established to support DHBs in delivering improved cancer care,” says Dr Coleman.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the latest National Health Target results show that over the busy winter months people were treated more quickly in emergency departments across the country than in previous years.

“Today’s quarter one result for 2014 is the best result in emergency department wait times over winter since targets began in 2009, which is significant as this is when services are traditionally at their most stretched,” says Dr Coleman.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has welcomed the rollout of a new national IT system aimed at improving the quality of maternity care for women and their babies.

“The new Maternity Clinical Information System (MCIS) is a secure online system which brings together all the information collected on different systems in hospitals and in the community,” says Dr Coleman.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says there has been a high level of interest from New Zealand health professionals wanting to join international efforts to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. 

“Since expressions of interest opened last Monday, 34 people have registered their interest via the Ministry of Health website,” says Dr Coleman.

The Government is facilitating the deployment of up to 24 volunteers as part of the Australian-flagged mission in Sierra Leone. The Australian mission involves operating a 100-bed Ebola treatment centre. 

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman paid tribute last night to the country’s top sports journalists, broadcasters and photographers at the annual Sir Terry McLean National Sports Journalism Awards. 

“Sport is a key part of our identity as New Zealanders and many of our greatest heroes have been sports people. The sports media play an important role in bringing to life the great stories that sport produces,” says Dr Coleman.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the Government will upgrade New Zealand’s therapeutic products regulation following the decision not to proceed with a joint regulator with Australia.

“Both Governments have agreed that a joint regulator has been thoroughly explored, but in the end respective interests are best served by separate therapeutic regimes,” says Dr Coleman.

“I have asked the Ministry of Health to develop a comprehensive regulatory scheme for therapeutic products in New Zealand.

The Hon Peter Dutton MP, Minister for Health for Australia, and the Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman, Minister of Health for New Zealand, today announced their governments’ agreement to cease efforts to establish a joint therapeutic products regulator, the Australia New Zealand Therapeutic Products Agency (ANZTPA).
 
The decision was taken following a comprehensive review of progress and assessment of the costs and benefits to each country of proceeding.  

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the Government has agreed to explore a proposal put forward by DHBs to move implementation of the shared services programme to a DHB-owned vehicle.

“While Health Benefits Limited (HBL) has made good progress in developing savings plans for DHBs, the responsibility for implementing these business cases needs to sit with DHBs,” says Dr Coleman.