Drugs, Devices, and Diagnostics
Latest | Media coverage | Commentary | Academic Literature | Legislation | Reports and Government Documents
Covering prescription medicines and medical devices, which includes instruments, implants, scans and tests, as well as screening and health promoting interventions.
Latest
Media coverage
Colonoscopy wait times increase as Health NZ funds fewer procedures
Wait times for urgent, non-urgent and surveillance colonoscopies all progressively worsened last year as Health New Zealand failed to meet demand.
Medicines industry ‘dodges a bullet’ with tariff exemption – for now
New Zealand’s pharmaceutical sector is cautiously optimistic over the industry being granted an exemption from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Faster approvals for medicines available overseas under new law
The legislation will give the health minister the power to approve, reject or transfer medication applications
Commentary
HE PĀNUI WHAKAHAU A TE MANA WHAKAHAERE KAIWHAKAWĀ D STONE MEMORANDUM-DIRECTIONS OF PRESIDING OFFICER JUDGE D STONE
This memorandum-direction addresses material relevant to the Health Services and Outcomes Kaupapa Inquiry (Wai 2575).
Healthy Families NZ – a decade of impact
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora’s Healthy Families NZ is marking ten years of impact with the release of an impact report ‘Reshaping our systems for a healthier Aotearoa New Zealand’.
Ministry of Health Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2024
The Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2024 sets out who we are and what we do, how we manage our business, our financial statements and statement of service performance as specified in Vote Health – Main Estimates of Appropriation 2023/24 and (where updated) in Vote Health – Supplementary Estimates of Appropriation 2023/24.
Academic Literature
Challenges and opportunities for Aotearoa/New Zealand’s breast screening programme
Around 3500 New Zealand women will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Of these, 45% will be diagnosed through mammography screening, either through BreastScreen Aotearoa or through the private sector. Those diagnosed through screening have better outcomes and importantly more equitable outcomes for Māori and Pacific women.
Te Oranga Pūkahukahu research programme: intentional steps towards a national equity-focused lung cancer screening programme in Aotearoa New Zealand
Screening of at-risk, asymptomatic people can significantly reduce mortality from lung cancer. However, evidence about how to optimise lung cancer screening for specific populations, including Aotearoa New Zealand’s Indigenous Māori, who experience disproportionately higher rates of lung cancer, is needed to ensure that a future lung screening programme in Aotearoa New Zealand is equitable.
The potential of a population register for addressing health inequities: an observational study using data linkage to improve breast cancer screening enrolment and participation in Indigenous Māori women in Aotearoa New Zealand
The data linkage approach has evidenced the benefit of a population register to facilitate equitable access to breast screening services. Further work is needed on choices of combined approaches for optimising screening uptake equitably.
Legislation and Parliament
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Reports and Government Documents
Enabling Transitional Access to Newly Funded Cancer Medicines for Patients in Private Facilities
These documents have been proactively released by the Ministry of Health on behalf of the Associate Minister of Health, Hon David Seymour.
Decision to increase medicines access
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour, and Health Minister Simeon Brown welcome Pharmac’s decision to fund or widen access to three treatments, including for skin cancer, from 1 June 2025.
Repeal of Health (Immunisation) Regulations 1995
The government’s 2024 Early Childhood Education (ECE) Regulatory Sector Review included a recommendation to repeal the Health (Immunisation) Regulations 1995. The Ministry of Health provided advice on the proposed repeal through the Regulatory Impact Statement below. The Health Regulations required ECEs and primary schools to maintain registers of enrolled children’s immunisation status. These registers are no longer needed as the Aotearoa Immunisation Register has replaced their function.
Key issues
HEALTH SERVICES AND SYSTEMS
EQUITY
DRUGS, DEVICE AND DIAGNOSTICS
PUBLIC HEALTH
DIGITAL HEALTH
TE TIRITI