How does the operation of PHARMAC's 'Community Exceptional ...

medications from the service due to cost saving (PB/142w Jocelyn Brooks,
2000).
In a similar vein, Coralee Leyland submitted that when health care is rationed
(as in the case of PHARMAC rationing the supply of pharmaceuticals), a
person’s ability to pay becomes an important factor in their access to care.
Leyland believed the NZPHD Bill would accentuate the gap between those who
could pay for health care and those who could not (PB/144w Coralee Leyland,
2000).
Another submitter, L.A.Smalley an insulin-dependent diabetic, stated that there
were considerable pharmacy costs which diabetics have to bear to stay alive.
Smalley complained that under the current regime she was ‘means tested’ 41 to
determine if she was eligible for a state subsidy to cover her extra
pharmaceutical costs. In her own words:
To be diagnosed with diabetes a patient is not means tested, yet to
receive any form of treatment a diabetic is subject to a means test.
Diabetes affects not only the rich who can afford the treatment, but also
the poor who cannot afford all the ‘necessities’ to ensure a normal life.
(PB/3w Linda Smalley, 2000)
Request by The Ministry of Health
Brooks, Leyland and Smalley were effective in their submissions. The Ministry
of Health made a submission which dealt with their concerns by recommending
that a provision be added to the Bill which allowed PHARMAC to set criteria
under which people may be prescribed certain pharmaceuticals (e.g., Ritalin 42 ).
This provision would be subject to any directions approved by the PHARMAC
Board and inserted into PHARMAC’s annual plan (PB/MOH 8 Ministry of
Health, 2000).
Submission on the PHARMAC’s Decision Making
The New Zealand AIDS Foundation (NZAF) raised objections to the way
PHARMAC had unfairly functioned in the past in relation to its decision making
processes. They submitted that the processes used were too slow and
41 To apply a means test in New Zealand is to require an examination of a person’s financial circumstances, usually by a
government official, to establish whether that the person is able or unable to pay for an essential service or be eligible
for a government subsidy or government funded programme.
42 Ritalin is the trade name for Methylphenidate (MPH) is a prescription stimulant commonly used to treat Attention-
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adults.
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