How the health priorities affect PHARMAC's work

How the health priorities affect PHARMAC's work

PHARMAC uses the Government's health priorities when considering funding a medicine or medical device.

Overarching priorities

Priority 1: Child wellbeing

PHARMAC's decisions will help improve child wellbeing and support children to have a healthy start in life.

Priority 2: Mental wellbeing

PHARMAC's decisions will help improve mental wellbeing. For PHARMAC, this includes treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.

Priority 3: Prevention

PHARMAC's decisions will improve wellbeing by preventing health conditions.

In his 2020/21 Letter of Expectations to PHARMAC, the Minister of Health asked PHARMAC to “consider how the prioritisation of medications to support improving wellbeing through prevention should be addressed”. This includes issues such as:

• smoking cessation

• immunising against infectious diseases

• antimicrobial stewardship

• sexual health.

Priority 4: Health equity

PHARMAC's decisions will support better population outcomes, supported by a strong and equitable public health and disability system. They are focused on achieving equity in health outcomes and enhancing equitable access to medicines. This includes a specific focus on achieving pae ora (healthy futures) for Māori as Te Tiriti partners.

PHARMAC's equity priorities

• Priority populations: Māori, Pacific people, low socio-economic status, refugees, rural populations.