Comments on: Prescription no longer required

By: Linda

Linda — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:18:27 +0000

The right questions at the pharmacy are necessary e.g.
- how much would this be on prescription?
- is there a cheaper brand available?
The pharmacy staff have no obligation to consider your budget unless you make it a factor in the discussion.
Often the cost can be reduced by utilising a generic or house brand, or even just ensuring the pharmacy has correct information such as community services card details [so correct patient co-payment (e.g. $3/$10/$15)is applied].

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:04:49 +0000

I don’t understand the how a $3 limit on prescriptions has any relevance in this context. This blog doesn’t say, but it implies the $3 limit is fairly recent. I discovered the trick of visiting a pharmacy before a doctor 15 years ago. I went to the local pharmacy to get some cough syrup. A sales assistant swooped on me before I had a chance to take a bottle of Benadryl off the shelf, and she disappeared out the back and returned with a plain brown bottle with a typed label from the pharmacy, which I recognised as having previously been prescribed by a doctor. Since that day I always visit the pharmacy first and have saved myself a fortune in doctor’s fees. Hydrocortisone cream is another item that I’ve previously been prescribed, but which I just buy off the shelf at the pharmacy now.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 07:22:13 +0000

@kane – too right its tiresome – one does wonder just how much longer the average joe/jody blogg kiwi will keep on believing the PR spin that keeps coming out – I for one am over it.

@Linda – cheers for that – very good advice!!

By: kaine T

kaine T — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:08:18 +0000

Paul – yeah and the Tories would tell you it’s policies are designed to help those most abjectly affected by them. Tiresome isn’t it?

By: Chris Hipkins

Chris Hipkins — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:03:46 +0000

@Linda – thanks for that, very useful.

By: Linda

Linda — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:58:33 +0000

For the quickest result ring your pharmacy and speak to a Pharmacist.
For cheapest result see Pharmacist first to ascertain if health problem requires a doctor’s visit, utilise their training/experience in distinguishing minor ailment vs major disease indicator (note: not all will get it right first time, just like Doctor)

for ascertaining if item requires script:
http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/Profs/Class/classintro.asp

for ascertaining if item will be funded:
http://www.pharmac.govt.nz/patients/Schedule

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:27:32 +0000

@Kaine T – hitting the poor and working poor (which actually amounts to a large % of kiwis) is exactly what the Nats are good at.

Chris, where would the average Kiwi find out what prescriptions no longer require doc visits? That would be a useful bit of info for all, I suspect. (its possibly online somewhere but I confess to being a bit lazy about looking)

By: kaine T

kaine T — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:22:06 +0000

Yeah, you’re right ghostw/w/nz… What I was meaning was that it would be likely that pharmacies would return to the old way of requiring prescription allocation of drugs, forcing people to go to the doctor first. With the fee cap off, people will be forced to go to the doctor or just get more sick.

Still, Nanny Key gets her way and we won’t be able to buy disprin without a prescription… Pseudoephadrine for example – Phenylephrine is rubbish, but in Key’s mind will fix the P problem! ha ha ha… Sure sure.

I digress… You’re right to say that patients will likely not visit the doctor if they get sick and that’s a problem. I refuse to go even now because it’s still expensive… My inarticulately made point was just that the system will rebalance if fees come off and that’s only going to hurt the poor and working poor.

By: ghostwhowalksnz

ghostwhowalksnz — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:31:58 +0000

Removing the cap on fees will encourage a return to doctors ? ??

You mean an exodus of patients if the fees rise. My last consulation was free, Im not sure why but I understand the current system isnt based on getting a fixed fee for every visit.
This should have been promoted through the roof, but other than reading some brochure in health speak in the waiting room I wouldnt really know the answer!

By: kaine T

kaine T — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:18:15 +0000

User pays? hardly, user avoided paying is the point!

Still, removing the cap on fees might encourage a return to Doctors first…

Hope the hands are healed Chris.