and just keeping other’s up to date as to where we are in the proceedings should other New Zealander’s drop by here frequently...

I received an email from a lady at the Human Rights Commission and responded to her questions.  I post those here for anyone to take and perhaps contact them who may have an inclination to let them know how it feels when their Doctor does not write "Certified Exempt" on their script and they are burdened with a trip to the chemist every month to collect their supplies due to being unable to simply self exempt from the schedule due to an ongoing physiological disability.  If you are a kiwi, then I would like to request your help to please email this lady in support of getting Pharmac to change their schedule and stop the discrimination against people with life long physiological disabilities being.  Our children are worthy of exemption..as parent’s we do not need to find ourselves with a shortage of med’s.  Even if your child is young, it is ok, I mean this regulation has been in place since 1996 and the head of Pharmac whom I contacted to explain my feelings of their discrimination to stated in his response that nothing has been done to change it since then and it is hardly likely it will either.  

Even if you feel it is not that much trouble to constantly have to check your script before you leave your Doctor’s office, or don’t mind constantly reminding you child’s Doctor about this and feeling like your trying to tell them how to write a script because your worried you will be lumbered with monthyl pick up---please help with the issue.  We are not the only people targeted in this.  there are diabetics and other people who are dependant upon drugs for life.  One of these days someone is not going to have the drugs in their cabinet, have their car not work and be unable to get their child to where they need to be in an emergency.  

Here is that email:

Our ref: D2097

 

23 January, 2003

 

 

 

Dear Anne-Marie Jefferies

 

complaint concerning pharmac

I refer to your e-mail to this office sent on 20 October, complaining about the rules Pharmac have applied to the “Access exemption criteria” available for people with disabilities to sign for a three months prescription, as opposed to the standard 1 month’s prescription.

Complaint 1

If I understand your complaint correctly, when people require prescriptions, and the doctor does not write on the script “Certified Exempt”, then unless the person comes within the very narrow access exemption criteria rulings formulated by Pharmac, the pharmacist may refuse to dispense the medication for more than the 1 month period.  You state that the narrow access exemption criteria formulated by Pharmac basically includes only those who have a physical disability that requires them to use a wheelchair.  You state it does not apply to other ongoing medical problems requiring ongoing maintenance therapy of the drug prescribed.  You state that, for example, your son’s condition which requires him to be on replacement cortisol therapy, does not entitle you to obtain the “access exemption” where the doctor forgets to give this to you.

 

In order to assist us in considering this complaint, it would be helpful if you could provide the following information:

·        Is it the dispensing chemist or the prescribing doctor who has told you this is the policy?

·        Have you had a conversation with anyone from Pharmac about this matter?  If so, what was the content of your discussion?

·        Can you provide any written documentation that Pharmac have formulated such guidelines. 

·        Can you provide us with a copy of such guidelines and the rationale for them.  I presume the rationale is that people with serious mobility disabilities have great difficulty in getting to a pharmacy every month. 

 

Complaint 2

In the last paragraph of your letter, you state that you feel that when the specialist has instructed you to increase medication in illness, he should take this into account when writing the script.  Are you saying that the specialist, when prescribing medicine, should prescribe for a longer period, to take into account possible illness?  Can you please confirm this is a correct understanding.  If this is your complaint, then does this have anything to do with Pharmac or is it a matter you should be raising with your specialist?

 

I would be grateful if you could provide comments on these questions.  I am happy for you to telephone me on 0800 378 254 ext 648 if that is easier for you.

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Yours sincerely

Geraldine Whiteford

Mediator

Kaihohourongo

  Her email is :

GeraldineW@hdc.co.nz

and I really do appreciate your assistance in this matter,

Thanks in advance,

 

Regards

Anne-Marie