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New Zealanders can now receive prescriptions covering up to 12 months for some long-term medicines, a change the Government says will cut costs and make access to healthcare simpler.
Health Minister Simeon Brown says the new prescribing rules came into effect on Sunday, February 1, and are aimed at people with stable, ongoing conditions.
“This is a commonsense change that will make a real difference to patients who have stable, long-term conditions like asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, and high blood pressure,” Brown says.
Under the change, GPs and other authorised prescribers can issue prescriptions lasting up to a year, where it is clinically appropriate and safe to do so. Patients will still collect their medicines in regular instalments from their usual pharmacy.
“If their GP or other prescriber decides it’s appropriate and safe to provide 12-month prescriptions, these patients won’t have to get a new prescription every three months,” Brown says.
Patients will pay a single $5 prescription charge when they collect their first supply, with no further charges applying to the remaining repeats over the 12-month period.
“They will visit their usual pharmacy to collect the repeats, and they will only pay a single prescription charge of $5 when they collect their first supply,” he says.
Brown says the move benefits both patients and the health system by reducing unnecessary appointments and freeing up GP time.
“This is a win-win for both patients and health professionals. It means lower costs, and better access to medicines for New Zealanders with long-term, stable medical conditions,” he says.
“It also reduces the time GPs and other prescribers need to spend renewing routine prescriptions, making it easier for other patients to get an appointment when they need one.”
The Government says the change sits alongside expanded prescribing rights for some health professionals, including nurse practitioners.
“We have also increased prescribing rights for health professionals like nurse practitioners, enabling them to prescribe a wider range of medicines within their areas of practice,” Brown says.
“Together, these changes mean New Zealanders will have quicker, easier, and more affordable access to the care and medicines they rely on.”
