Simon Bridges National MP simonbridges.co.nz

Weather has always been a great conversation starter but I can't remember a time when there has been so much to talk about weather-wise.

We have officially been in drought here in the Bay of Plenty since March 6 and while many of us in the city will have enjoyed all the sun, we all also appreciate what a serious matter it is for those working the land. When it started raining last weekend even I gave a sigh of relief. My garden and lawn really needed a drink.

Protecting and growing our public health service

Ask anyone what issues are important to them and their family, and frontline health services are always near the top of the list.

That's why National has made frontline health services a key part of its priority to deliver better public services.

Health sectors around the world face many challenges – growing cost pressures, ageing populations, tough global economic conditions.

Amid this, National is protecting and growing our public health service. This year we are spending $14.12 billion on health – the most ever.

We are making each health dollar go further with a focus on better services and less bureaucracy. We have employed 1000 more doctors, 2000 more nurses, and 1000 fewer back office staff.

People want to know that if they need a hip or knee replacement, cataracts, grommets or other life-improving elective surgery, they are not just left on a waiting list. We have delivered 35,000 more elective discharges a year than under the previous Government. In 2005, there were 33,000 patients waiting more than six months for elective surgery and surgical First Specialist Assessments. Today there are 600.

Ensuring patients get quick access to cancer treatment when they need it is one way we can ease the burden of being diagnosed with cancer. All patients who need radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment, and are ready for it, can now begin treatment within four weeks. This is the world gold standard.

Emergency department patients are also receiving timely treatment with 93 per cent being seen within six hours, a substantial improvement on under 70 per cent in 2009.

We are helping ensure babies and infants have a healthy start to life by increasing the portion of two-year-olds being fully immunised from just 67 per cent in 2007 to 93 per cent. We have now set the ambitious target of having 95 per cent of eight-month-olds fully immunised by December 2014.

Smokers are receiving better help to quit, with 95 per cent of patients who smoke being given advice when seen by a health practitioner.

Families with young children are also better off, with 96 per cent of children under six, over 350,000, receiving free doctors' visits both during the day and after hours – a huge increase since 2006 when only 77,000 children received free visits during the day.

We have made significant improvements to frontline health services during tough economic times, and will continue to work hard to build on these.