Labour promises more cataract and joint replacement operations

Prime Minister Helen Clark today announced Labour's sixth election pledge -- to fund 7500 extra cataract operations and 10,000 extra major joint procedures over the next three years.

The PM said that over the past three years there had been about 16,500 major joint procedures such as hip and knee replacements.

"Under Labour, there will be over 26,500 major joint procedures in the three years from 1 July," she said.

There would be up to 31,500 cataract operations over the next three years, compared with about 24,000 that had been carried out during the last three years.

Helen Clark announced Labour's latest pledge in a speech to a Grey Power meeting in Motueka.

It will go on the pledge card, which carries her signature, joining other key promises which are a key strategy in Labour's campaign.

"Cataract operations dramatically improve the quality of life for those needing surgery," she said.

"As the number of operations performed increases, we will be helping many thousands more New Zealanders regain their independence each and every year."

She said major joint procedures had a huge impact on the health and lives of people who needed them.

"Joint disease is common in New Zealand, especially in older people," she said.

"Research suggests that around half of those aged over 60 suffer arthritis or a related condition, and by 65 more than half the population has X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis in at least one joint."

The Prime Minister added that when the Government launched its orthopaedic project in 2004, the average intervention rate for major joint replacements was 1.2 per 1000 people.

That compared with rates of 1.9 in Australia, 2.3 in Britain and 2.6 in Sweden.

"We expect our rate to be at least 2.4 -- in the top league internationally -- by 2007-08," she said.

The extra operations will cost more than $200 million over the three years.

Labour's other pledges are rates rebates for pensioners, scrapping interest on student loans, 5000 more apprenticeship places, setting 2008 as the cut off date for historical Treaty of Waitangi claims and 250 more community police over the next two years.

The final pledge is expected to be announced at Labour's campaign launch on Sunday in Auckland.

- NZPA