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Health Minister Tony Ryall today announced Te Oranganui has been selected to lead a $2 million anti-obesity initiative in Wanganui which will help families improve their health.

Mr Ryall shared with news with locals while out and about in Wanganui this morning with Whanganui MP Chester Borrows.

“Healthy Families NZ is a new $40 million initiative which aims to improve people’s health where they live, learn, work and play in order to prevent obesity,” says Mr Ryall.

Health Minister Tony Ryall has today announced the responsibility for Chatham Islands health services will transfer to Canterbury District Health Board (DHB) from Hawkes Bay DHB next year.

Between 27 May and 17 June this year, the Ministry of Health held community meetings in the Chatham Islands and received a total of 106 submissions around a potential transition to a new district DHB.

Over 70 per cent of respondents indicated that responsibility should be transferred from Hawke’s Bay DHB, with the majority of those favouring a change to Canterbury DHB.

The National Cardiac Network, which is led by cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, GPs, nurses and other health professionals, continues to make gains and improve cardiac services in New Zealand.

Health Minister Tony Ryall today met with Prof Ralph Stewart, the new chair of the Network and a cardiologist at Auckland City Hospital.

“This network is an excellent example of the strong clinical leadership in our public health services,” says Mr Ryall.

Latest Ministry of Health data shows over 162,000 hips, knees and other elective operations were performed last financial year – 44,000 more operations than six years ago.

Mr Ryall says this significant increase means every day 170 more patients are getting the operations they need and they’re getting them faster compared to 2008.

“Elective surgery makes a real difference to patients and their families – it reduces pain, restores independence and improves quality of life.

Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia says that research reports recently released show that Māori continue to face a number of barriers preventing them from accessing palliative health.

Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia has welcomed the Health Select Committee report for the Smokefree Environments (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Amendment Bill saying it is another significant step towards a Smokefree Aotearoa 2025.

The bill has proposed a number of amendments that will ensure that the effects of branding and advertising of tobacco products are minimised.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has criticised ‘misleading and emotive’ statements on medicinal cannabis from pro-cannabis groups.

“These groups claim the government is blocking research and development of cannabis-based pharmaceuticals. That is not only absolutely wrong, but also shows a woeful ignorance of the process for approving any new medicinal products” says Mr Dunne.

Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew has announced that publication of full rest home audit reports will continue.

“Late last year I asked the Ministry of Health to trial publishing full audit reports of rest homes online,” says Mrs Goodhew.

“This followed feedback from the public and stakeholder groups that they wanted more information about how a rest home was performing.

“During the trial period over 200 people a week visited the full audit reports site, with around 80 of those downloading a copy of a full audit report.

Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew is welcoming a new survey system which will ask hospital patients for their feedback.

“Every three months, 7500 patients will be sent a survey asking about their stay in hospital. The survey will cover everything from whether they were involved in decision-making about their treatment to whether they understood the advice they were given by their doctor,” says Mrs Goodhew.

Health Minister Tony Ryall officially opened the $7 million Nikau House development at Elizabeth Knox Home and Hospital in Epsom, Auckland today.

“This new development will add 60 new bedrooms to the 140 residents already here at Knox Home,” says Mr Ryall.

“There are a number of new developments that were included after discussions with residents such as the two new wheelchair accessible kitchens and better access to the courtyard so residents can enjoy their independence.

It is a pleasure for me to be here to speak at the opening of Nikau House. This is an exciting time for you all, a new beginning and I’m glad to be able to share this with you.

I commend the management of Elizabeth Knox Home and Hospital for the decision to invest in the future of your facility, thereby future-proofing the care that your residents will receive.

Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew has welcomed the news that over 1.2 million doses of flu vaccines have now been distributed to New Zealanders.

“Immunisation is the best protection we have against influenza. Maintaining a high vaccination rate is an important way we can protect ourselves and our families from this common, but serious winter illness,” says Mrs Goodhew.

“When we protect ourselves, we also protect the people around us who may be too young or too unwell to be immunised themselves.”

Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew has today welcomed the introduction of the Health (Protection) Amendment Bill to Parliament, which will amend the Health Act to make sunbeds R18 and improve the management of serious infectious diseases.

“This Amendment Bill brings together two separate, but equally important, sets of changes which will protect the health and safety of New Zealanders,” says Mrs Goodhew.

If passed, the Bill will stop the harm caused to people under 18 years of age by artificial (UV) tanning machines.

Health Minister Tony Ryall is encouraging health professionals to take part in the annual Clinicians’ Challenge by submitting their IT solutions to improve health services.

“The Clinicians’ Challenge is a chance for health professionals to suggest innovative ways to use information systems,” says Mr Ryall.

“Clinicians might suggest an idea to improve the way they work, make a system more efficient, or encourage collaboration between health professionals.

The government is investing an extra $1.5 million to give 25 graduate nurses scholarships to work in general practices in some of New Zealand’s higher need communities next year.

Health Minister Tony Ryall made the announcement today during a visit to Badar Drive Health Care in Mangere.

“Last year, we invested an extra $16 million over four years to support general practices that offer low-cost consultations to some of our most vulnerable communities,” says Mr Ryall.

Health Minister Tony Ryall has announced the government will fund up to 200 additional training places for nurse graduates next year.

Mr Ryall says the $2.8 million investment will bring the total number of places available on the Nurse Entry to Practice programme to 1300.

The Nurse Entry to Practice programme offers professional and educational support for graduate nurses in their first year of practice.

Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew has today announced approval of $9.3 million in subsidies to help small communities establish or improve their drinking-water supplies.

“The subsidies have been approved under the 2013/14 Drinking-Water Subsidy Scheme (DWSS) funding round for projects in 22 small communities across the country,” says Mrs Goodhew.

“These subsidies will help council and community water suppliers provide safer drinking-water for over 17,000 people.

Health Minister Tony Ryall has today announced specialist nurses will now be trained to perform colonoscopies, a diagnostic test which can identify whether a person has bowel cancer and can find and remove pre-cancerous growths.

The first group of nurse endoscopists will begin training early next year.

Mr Ryall says training nurses to perform uncomplicated colonoscopies was one of the proposals discussed at the Endoscopy Workforce Symposium held in April this year.

“Nurse endoscopy offers real benefits to patients and public health services.

Thank you for inviting me to your annual conference. It is my pleasure to be here to express my support for your organisation and to hear how your work is progressing.

I would like to acknowledge:

Health Minister Tony Ryall has been given a first-hand demonstration of a video link that gives patients in the small central North Island community of Taumarunui access to medical expertise from specialists at Waikato Hospital.

Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew has welcomed a bill which will make possession of a high-power laser pointer in public, without a reasonable excuse, an offence.

The Summary Offences (Possession of High-power Laser Pointers) Amendment Bill yesterday passed its final reading in the House.

“High-power laser pointers can cause eye injuries – even blindness – and skin burns. ACC accepts around 10 claims a year for these injuries,” says Mrs Goodhew.

Results released today show good progress is being made to achieve the Government’s Better Public Services targets, say social sector Ministers Tony Ryall, Paula Bennett and Hekia Parata.

“This National-led Government is committed to ensuring New Zealand children are getting a better start in life,” Health Minister Tony Ryall says.

“We all need to work together to support children, young people and their families and the Better Public Services targets help us do this,” says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne is to attend and address the Global Commission on Drug Policy special session at the 20^th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne tomorrow. He has been invited to speak on New Zealand’s regulated approach to controlling psychoactive substances.

Health Minister Tony Ryall has announced the government is investing an extra $4 million to establish a National Renal Transplant Service to increase the number of live kidney donor transplantations over the next few years.

Mr Ryall says the shortage of kidneys for transplantation is a serious problem in New Zealand. While there were around 110 kidney transplants last year there are still over 600 people currently waiting for a kidney transplant.