Prescription fee

A pharmacy group that fought for free prescriptions has put out two surveys about the impacts of the change, and hopes incoming MPs will see the value of it and decide not to bring back the charges.

The Prescription Access Initiative is holding on to hope that the change in Government may not result in the $5 prescription fee being reintroduced

A group of pharmacists who pushed for prescription fees to be removed is vowing to continue to fight to keep this change in the wake of National’s latest health policy announcement.

The Government’s cost of living policy of making most prescriptions free is working, with almost 3 million free scripts provided to around 900,000 New Zealanders since the $5 co-payment was removed on July 1, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall has announced.

With the election fast approaching and National and ACT gaining support in the polls, the Pharmacy Guild is urging those parties not to bring back prescription fees

Pharmacies have been busy since the $5 prescription copayment was removed on Saturday and report customers are stoked and surprised 

Excitement is building as preparations are made for the dropping of the $5 prescription copayment this weekend

Pharmacists around New Zealand are ecstatic that the $5 prescription fee has been removed in the 2023 Budget. Jonathan Chilton-Towle reports

More details of the planned minor-ailments scheme have been revealed but it will not be available in all regions. Jonathan Chilton-Towle reports

The Government’s announcement that it was scrapping the $5 prescription fee from 1 July caught the pharmacy sector by surprise, but health minister Ayesha Verrall says the policy had been planned for some time