From 1 July 2026, Pharmac will take over funding medicines used by ambulance services after a government decision to shift responsibility from Health New Zealand and ACC.
Ambulance medicines have traditionally been funded through a separate arrangement, with providers purchasing the medicines they require using funding allocated by Health New Zealand and ACC.
With Pharmac already funding medicines used in hospitals and the community, this change will bring ambulance medicines into the same national funding system.
Most medicines used across the public health system are already funded by Pharmac, so it makes sense for ambulance medicines to be included as well,” Pharmac acting manager of pharmaceutical funding Claire Pouwels said.
She said integrating these medicines into a single national funding approach would support a more consistent and coordinated system for emergency care.
Pouwels said the change would not affect the care provided by ambulance services.
“This is largely a behind-the-scenes change to how medicines are funded and supplied.”
“People won’t see any difference in the care they receive from ambulance services.”
“Over time, it supports a more consistent approach to how medicines are funded and supplied across emergency care.”
Pouwels said feedback from the consultation process had helped shape how the changes would be implemented.
“We heard strong support for bringing ambulance medicines into Pharmac’s funding, along with useful feedback on how medicines are supplied in practice.”
To support the change, Pharmac will add a new section to the Pharmaceutical Schedule to clearly specify which medicines are funded for ambulance use and where they should be ordered.