The College represents members’ views with government and health sector organisations on issues relating to general practice, the health system and the health of New Zealanders.
PHARMAC has been seeking feedback on a proposal to amend the Pharmaceutical Schedule rules to allow pharmacists to independently authorise subsidy for two products that can be sold by pharmacists to patients without a prescription - nicotine replacemen therapy (NRT) and the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP). We responded on 14 August 2017.
We support the aim of this proposal to provide patients with greater access to funded NRT and ECP, and agree that this proposal increases the options available. Our response sets out more detail including the impact this proposal is likely to have on the coordination of patient care, including the clinical importance of GPs being notified of prescriptions given as a part of longitudinal care and needing to know if a patient has been prescribed NRT, which relates to health targets.
You can read our response in full.