Easy solution, but Ryall not interested

new-zealand-labour-party

Wed Sep 18 2013 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Easy solution, but Ryall not interested

Wednesday, 18 September 2013, 5:05 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Annette

KING

Health Spokesperson
18 September 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT

Easy solution, but Ryall not interested

The Ministry of Health is so concerned at the impact higher prescription charges are having on patients and on pharmacists it is warning it could become an election issue, Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King says.

Part charges for prescriptions went from $3 to $5 earlier this year. The move was expected to save $20 million in the first year and $40 million in subsequent years, with the savings being reinvested in health care.

“Health Minister Tony Ryall was warned from the outset that the move would hit struggling families and other low income Kiwis, yet he has made no effort whatsoever to monitor the effects of the price rise.

“He was also unaware of a stakeholder meeting that raised concerns about increasing numbers of patients not picking up their medication, and pharmacists having to provide medication on drip payment to patients, leading to them going into debt themselves.

“Of course Mr Ryall is the same man who is on record as saying primary health care is about ensuring ‘every person can afford healthcare and disability support, regardless of their income, health status, or risk profile’.

“He has also said that no family need pay more than an extra $40, or a total of $100 a year, for their prescriptions.

“That’s all very well, but what he is not saying is that to get the exemption people need to use the same pharmacy each time because there is no data base that records how many scripts people have collected.

“Thousands of New Zealanders are missing out on the exemption. My suggestion to Mr Ryall is simple; introduce a pharmacy card that can be used at any chemist to record transactions so that once the dispensary limit is reached, the exemption kicks in.”

ENDS

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