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
Years-long delays to access ‘life-changing’ diabetes technology
Thousands of New Zealanders living with type 1 diabetes face a frustrating wait for potentially life-changing technology, despite a recent announcement from Pharmac that continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps are now fully funded.
Patients accuse Pharmac of ‘cruelty’ and lacking respect
Some patients and advocacy groups see Pharmac as "slow to respond", "highly defensive" and "lacking respect" for them, according to an independent report released by the drug-funding agency today.
Pharmac Consumer Engagement Workshop Report welcomed
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has today welcomed the publication of Pharmac’s Consumer Engagement Workshop Report.
Commentary
Health Delivery Plan
This plan is the updated reset plan and summarises the work done to date and a roadmap of activities and deliverables to the end of the 2026 financial year. It includes a plan on a page.
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’.
Academic Literature
The development of a discrete choice experiment: Investigating pharmacy selection in New Zealand
Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) provide a method for understanding preferences for service provision and there have been limited applications to the selection of community pharmacies. The validity and accuracy of DCEs rely upon the attributes and levels used. This paper aims to describe the development of a DCE investigating New Zealanders preferences for community pharmacies.
Lived experience of affordability as a barrier to prescription medicines: A longitudinal qualitative study
Exploring lived experience provides insights into the multiple ways that lack of affordability prevents access to medicines: directly, through interaction with other barriers to access including transport, by damaging trust and reducing acceptability of services, and by making participants less able to deal with mistakes made by health professionals.
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.
Legislation and Parliament
Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022
The purpose of this Act is to provide for the public funding and provision of services in order to—
(a) protect, promote, and improve the health of all New Zealanders; and
(b) achieve equity in health outcomes among New Zealand’s population groups, including by striving to eliminate health disparities, in particular for Māori; and
(c) build towards pae ora (healthy futures) for all New Zealanders.
Reports and Government Documents
Strategic Approach to Immunisation in New Zealand 2025–2030
Immunisation is a highly successful public health intervention. It safeguards individuals, whānau and communities against a range of potentially devastating diseases, and is a critical way of preventing and controlling infectious disease outbreaks. An accessible and effective immunisation system maximises immunisation uptake and coverage, improving the health of the population and enabling pae ora – healthy futures.
First Plunket site begins delivering childhood immunisations
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
Hawke’s Bay patients to benefit from new and improved radiology and cancer treatment services
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
Key issues
HEALTH SERVICES AND SYSTEMS
EQUITY
DRUGS, DEVICE AND DIAGNOSTICS
PUBLIC HEALTH
DIGITAL HEALTH
TE TIRITI