A lot of people tell me how important health care is to them. Whether that’s getting necessary surgery, shorter hospital stays, or better access to disability support services.

Your health and the health of your family is important to me. That’s why the National-led Government is boosting health spending in Budget 2010 by $2.1 billion over the next four years.

Health is the single biggest item of new spending in Budget 2010, increased by $512 million to $13.5 billion in 2010/11. That’s $1.4 billion a year more than when we came into Government.

Elective surgery is a priority for this Government. In 2009 we boosted elective surgery by almost 13,000 operations – the largest ever annual increase – such as cataract removal, joint replacements, and ear, nose and throat surgeries.

We’ve provided a further $59.5 million in Budget 2010 for elective surgery, $8 million specifically for breast reconstruction. Boosting the number of elective operations will help improve the quality of life for people who get these operations.

We’re setting up a pilot project to screen the most commonly diagnosed cancer in New Zealand. We’ve allocated $24 million in the Budget to see if a nationwide screening programme aimed at early detection of bowel cancer is feasible. A nationwide programme could ensure earlier treatment and reduce the death rate by more than a third, saving up to 270 lives a year.

National believes in helping people with disabilities to lead more independent lives with greater access to necessary support. That is why we are spending an extra $93 million over the next four years for disability support services.

This includes residential services for people with intellectual disabilities, home and community support services, supported independent living, and respite care. The extra funding will also cut waiting times for adults getting cochlear impacts and will provide more home modifications and equipment for those who need it.

We have also identified areas of lower priority spending and shifted it to high priority and frontline public health services. One of our new priorities is increasing the number of medical school places by 200 over five years. The first stage of this began this year with 60 additional medical students. Budget 2010 funds another 20 places on top of that.

Our Budget measures will help us to continue improving frontline health services for you and your family. They demonstrate the National-led Government’s strong commitment to delivering better, sooner, more convenient healthcare for all New Zealanders.

This entry was posted by admin on Monday, July 5. 2010 at 10:16. and is filed under News.