Some pharmacists are urging the incoming government to rethink plans to scrap universal fee-free prescriptions.
The policy was introduced by the previous government as part of this year's budget, in an effort to ease the pressure of the cost of living crisis.
Now that National is set to lead, the policy will likely be scrapped in favour of a targeted approach, meaning the $5 fee will come back for most.
In the five months since the policy was introduced, community pharmacists say they have seen improved health outcomes among their patients.
“We definitely have more time to speak to our patients. The focus of the conversations is more about health,” Northland pharmacist Lanny Wong told Breakfast.
A new survey from the Prescription Access Initiative saw pharmacists saying they are able to provide a higher quality of care to all patients without fees.
“They are actually reporting they’re having more time with their patients, and this time that they’re having with their patients is actually being put back into the community as well,” Wong, who helped organise the survey, said.
“We’re hearing that pharmacists are now providing vaccination services when they couldn’t do that before.
“Pharmacists are saying they are actually providing cardiovascular health screenings. Pharmacists are saying they’re providing sleep apnea screenings.
“These are all the benefits that we’re hearing and what our survey shows.”
The incoming government’s approach will see gold and community service card holders, as well as people with over $100 dollars in fees, have access to fee-free prescriptions but nobody else.
Wong said asking for these kinds of details can cause problems between the pharmacist and patient.
"We don’t know that just looking at the patient because I don't know how old you are."
She said it would sour relationships between local pharmacies and patients “because these conversations are actually quite invasive”.
“From then on, it’s really hard to have a proactive conversation with that person when they feel ashamed.”
Wong said pharmacists would be “devastated” if they had to go back to asking those kinds of questions.
“The last three months, we’ve seen that we are able to focus our conversation on health, and we want to be able to do that,” she said.
She said the removal of the fees saved pharmacists around “10 hours a week” in time.
Wong urged the incoming government to view pharmacists as health professionals “not tax collectors".
“We’re not that. We want the government to remember that we’re health professionals first and foremost.”
He said a targeted approach will mean the government can invest in health outcomes (Source: Breakfast)
Also speaking to Breakfast, national leader and incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon justified his party's stance, saying the money would be invested in other ways to support the health system.
“What it means is that we’re going to take that money and spend it on 13 new cancer treatments,” he said.
He also defended the targeted approach, saying: “People like me shouldn’t be getting it [prescriptions] subsidised frankly.
“I’d sooner take that money when we’ve got a 15% higher mortality rate to Australians on cancer. Let's access those.
“It's all about dollars, right, and the question is, what do you do with your money?”
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