Kia ora Annie

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), received by the Ministry of Health on 6 June 2025. You requested:

 

I am concerned that a decision was made, without any public consultation
and announced on Budget Day, that prescriptions will change to 12 monthly
soon.

As a life-time committed Not for profit driven Doctor, I do not make money
out of patients seeking medical care.  I strive for quality care for all
my patients.

This often requires delicate management of people, time, place,
prescriptions, complications, interactions, interval symptoms,
intercurrent illnesses and changes within all the above.  In addition, we
have frequently over the last 20 years had prolonged periods where
specific medications are not available within the country due to Sole
Provider pharmaceuticals, and the idea of patients stockpiling 12 months
of medication is at best ludicrous, at worst dangerous.

Never have I thought, read or discussed any advantage to anyone,
particularly the unwell, that 12 months prescriptions would improve the
health outcome for our disadvantaged patients.

Can you please, under the OIA, forward copies of all the information that
the Minister of Health had at his disposal in making this random decision,
and what the driver for this change was.

I look forward to receiving this obviously very insightful information
that nobody else in my industry seems to know anything about.
 

 

The reference number for your request is H2025068165. As required under
the Act, the Ministry will endeavour to respond to your request no later
than 20 working days after the day your request was received:
http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/.   

 

If you have any queries related to this request, please do not hesitate to
get in touch ([1][email address]).

 

 

Ngā mihi 
 
OIA Services Team 
[2]Ministry of Health information releases 

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References

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1. mailto:[email address]
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