Rotorua pharmacies welcome removal of $5 fee for prescriptions

Rotorua pharmacists and health advocates have welcomed the move to axe the $5 prescription fee.

The decision, announced on Thursday as part of Budget 2023, will cost the Government $619m.

Health professionals and advocates told the Rotorua Daily Post the $5 co-payment was a barrier that kept some people from accessing needed medications.

Unichem Rotorua Central Pharmacy owner David Honore said he was “very pleased”.

“It will be a huge help. The co-payment has been a barrier for many of our patients,” Honore said.

Unichem Rotorua Central Pharmacy pharmacist David Honore. Photo / Andrew Warner

Honore said he had been advocating for the removal of the prescription co-payment for a number of years.

“The benefits for our Rotorua community will be huge. I just thought it was great.”

Honore said some of his customers had to choose their medications based on how much money they had.

“Some can only afford two on the day. They might pick up their insulin and inhaler and they have to go without the high blood pressure medication,’' he said.

“Not every community needs this but Rotorua definitely does.”

Unichem The Mall Pharmacy owner and pharmacist Brett Fordyce said he personally thought the Government’s announcement was “a very good idea”.

“We’ve all seen people who haven’t been able to afford their medication,” Fordyce said.

“They can now collect all of their medication at once rather than having to come into town several times because they’ve got $10 today and $15 tomorrow.”

Fordyce said he believed the decision would “definitely have a positive impact overall”.

Asthma and Respiratory Management Bay of Plenty Incorporated nurse Debbie Elliott said she hoped the change would improve compliance with the use of preventer inhalers.

“Hopefully we’ll see better control of people’s asthma,” Elliott said.

“People won’t often pick up their prescription for preventer inhalers because of the charges. Those on a monthly inhaler can see the cost as a barrier due to it being ongoing.

“But for asthmatics, the preventer inhaler is there to prevent lung damage in the future so it is important to use it regularly as prescribed.”

Age Concern Rotorua manager Rory O’Rourke believed the elderly used the pharmacy’s services most of all.

“Any extra money is going to be beneficial to people. The majority of older people will have a prescription so they will benefit from this decision.”

Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said abolishing the fee would ease household budgets while relieving pressures on hospitals.

About 135,000 adults did not collect their prescriptions because of cost in 2021-22, Verrall said.

In his speech to Parliament at the Budget 2023 announcement, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the decision meant an estimated three million people will no longer have to worry about the cost of collecting medication.

“Last year more than 29 million items were dispensed that attracted the $5 co-payment. This will be a helpful saving for millions of Kiwis.”

National Party finance spokeswoman Nicola Willis said the party did not support the decision.

“We would not have universal zero fees,” Willis said.

“We would expect that there would be some New Zealanders who would still pay a prescription charge.”

Clarification: A sentence quoting National leader Chris Luxon saying the party would bring back the $5 co-payment has been removed.