Manatū Hauora | Minister of Health
New Zealanders will soon be able to receive 12-month prescriptions for their medicines, delivering savings to patients on long-term medications, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Health Minister David Seymour say.
“Currently, doctors and other prescribers can only prescribe most medicines for a maximum of three months at a time. Patients must then pay their GP for a follow-up appointment or to issue a repeat prescription every three months,” Mr Brown says.
“This creates unnecessary barriers for patients on stable, long-term medications like asthma inhalers, insulin for diabetes, and blood pressure tablets. It means added costs for patients and more paperwork for health professionals, taking time away from patients with more urgent or complex needs.
