By MARTIN JOHNSTON health reporter
The right of approved pharmacists to hand out subsidy cards for quit-smoking gum and patches is being revoked from November 1.
The Health Ministry has ruled that pharmacists face a potential conflict of interest if they hand out the cards and sell the nicotine-replacement therapy.
"While there have been no problems to date, this change will remove that possibility," said a ministry spokeswoman.
The ministry had not foreseen the potential conflict last November, when certain pharmacists and other health workers were permitted to join the telephone Quitline staff in giving the cards to smokers.
The cards are redeemable at any pharmacy, but only 80 pharmacists are approved to hand them out.
Some pharmacists are angry at the change, which they say was made without consultation.
Pharmacy Guild president Gray Maingay said yesterday that the conflict-of-interest claim was ridiculous. He has written to Health Minister Annette King asking for her explanation.
Warren Flaunty, of Massey Pharmacy in West Auckland, said he had spent $300 having two pharmacists attend a training session on the subsidy programme, and had signed up, at $160 a week, for a year's radio advertising of the service.
Anger over Quit subsidy ruling
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