Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Govt turns blind eye to drug wastage


Govt turns blind eye to drug wastage

By turning a blind eye to drug wastage, the Government is throwing millions of health dollars away, says National’s Associate Health spokesman, Dr Paul Hutchison.

A survey of drug prescriptions carried out by the Canterbury District Health Board and the local pharmacy guild suggests alarming ‘wastage’ of health dollars.

Dr Hutchison says the Canterbury figure, if extrapolated to the 892 pharmacies around the country, suggests a wastage of at least $4.8 million – and that’s just on the drugs that are returned - many more are being dumped.

“One of the reasons ‘all-at-once’ stat dispensing was abandoned in the late 1990s was because the nation’s bathrooms were over-flowing with unused drugs, creating a danger to children and wasting millions of dollars.”

Dr Hutchison said Pharmac is predicting a significant saving from the return to stat dispensing, but that is no excuse for accepting such wastage of scarce health dollars.

“Labour has already spent $3 billion more on health since 1999, and Treasury reports show fewer operations are being performed for more money. Labour is also increasing universal subsidies for drugs, which has the danger of patients not valuing their true worth. Despite its rhetoric, Labour is demonstrating a culture of extravagance and wastage.”

Dr Hutchison says this illustrates an urgent need for an audit and review of pharmaceutical dispensing.

“It is important that chemists are given an opportunity to work with doctors and patients to prevent wastage.”


Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.