From February 1, Kiwis can get 12-month prescriptions for their medications, replacing the previous three-month limit.
Patients can pick up repeat prescriptions from the pharmacy as normal, without needing to see their doctor for a new script each time.
“It means less repeats, less going back to the doctor for a repeat prescription, which will save them money,” Health Minister Simeon Brown said.
He said individual GPs would decide whether to issue a 12-month prescription.
“They’ll have to consider the patient’s well-being and all of those risks, but ultimately this enables longer-term prescriptions.”
Patients pay the $5 prescription fee just once—upon their initial three-month collection. The verdict came last year when ministers scrapped an earlier plan to charge patients $5 every quarter.
Ministry of Health documents released in December show the Cabinet nixed repeated co-payments, as they clashed with cost-reduction aims, especially since nearly 200,000 adults skipped prescriptions last year due to expense.
For Brown, eliminating the extra charges “supports the aim of removing financial and administrative barriers” to medicines.”
Meanwhile, the Royal New Zealand College of GPs advocated for six-month prescription extensions instead of 12, warning that fewer GP visits might miss key health changes.
Medical director Dr Prabani Wood said prescriptions could turn “inappropriate” if side effects emerge or the medication fails to work as expected.
“A lot can change for someone in 12 months with regard to their health.”
“The other thing that’s linked to safety concerns is the loss of that opportunistic screening and the ability to pick up health issues early and treat them early, which you would get if you’re seeing your GP more regularly.”
Pharmacist Clive Cannons warned that 12-month prescriptions could lead to longer pharmacy queues, as staff raise questions typically asked by GPs.
“It will mean an extra workload,” Cannons said.
“It will mean a delay in the timing that prescriptions take, and I am concerned about that.”