Malcolm Mulholland: Patient Voice Aotearoa Chair on the new expectations for Pharmac

There’s confidence Māori health outcomes won't be impacted by Pharmac focussing on health determinants rather than ethnicity.  

In a letter of expectations to Pharmac Board Chair Paula Bennett, David Seymour says he doesn't think its commitment to embedding the Treaty of Waitangi is appropriate, and it’s no longer expected. 

Seymour says the drug-buying agency's burnt a lot of energy doing that over recent years.  

Patient Voice Aotearoa's Malcolm Mulholland told Ryan Bridge he's okay with that directive.  

He says there was never any evidence that the Treaty provisions within Pharmac's decision making process led to more Māori accessing medicine. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
David Seymour has released his Letter of Expectations for farm Act.
Following a significant funding boost, the drug buying agency has
been told it needs to deliver improved health outcomes underpinned
by robust data and evidence. Seymour has also told FARMAC
to halt the embedding of tetentity or white hanging in
its decision making.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
If it treats me different New Zealand's differently based on
whether or not they had an ancestor who was Mari,
then we want nothing to do with it.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Malcolm R. Holland is the chair of the Patient Voice
outed our group and joins me now, Malcolm, welcome to
the program. First of all, this treaty exclusion does that
bother you?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
No, it doesn't. There was never any evidence that by
having treaty provisions within farmac's decision making process that led
to MARDI access in more medicines. It was very unclear
as to how it was being used, so it made
from our perspective, no material difference.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
Apart from that, what is new in this What gives
you hope that this is going to lead to actual change?

Speaker 2 (01:03):
It is a number of things, probably in particular is
around looking at famic's dietritory objectives, So whether or not
they need to retain reference to FARMAC having a MILEFIC
process if you like, on cost containment, looking at the
health technology assessment process in for FARMAC to consider some

(01:27):
of the savings that can occur within the health system
and to the wider taxpayer as they found a particular medicine,
and also looking at the separation of roles between FARMAC
is a procurement agency as well as the Health Technology
Assessment Agency as well.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Okay, so there's stuff in there that gives you a
bit of hope. How do you think FARMAC will respond
to this? Do you think that they're up to the job.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Well, it was interesting being there yesterday. Certainly, the conversations
that we had with FAMAIC staff, they seemed overall positive.
You know, I believe there was a bit of reluctance
around the TRITI aspect of the leader of expectations, but
overall I think they know that change is happening and
that it needs to happen.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Welcome R. Holland's Patient Advocate. Thank you very much for
your time this morning. Chair of Patient Voice Out had
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