Post-cyclone prescription fee waiver extended for displaced people

Te Whatu Ora has extended the waiver of the $5 prescription fee for displaced people in and from areas affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

The fee was waived in Northland, Coromandel, Tairāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay and Tararua to assist people living in these areas following the disaster and this waiver was due to expire on Sunday.

Pharmacists in the regions have found the measure greatly increased access to medicines and have been asking Te Whatu Ora to extend it. This afternoon, their wish was granted.

The agency’s group manager primary health care system improvement and innovation, national commissioning, Adeline Cummings, says the waiver will be extended until midnight on Monday 10 April. But it will only be extended for people displaced by the storm, not for all residents.

“We acknowledge that support is still needed for those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle,” Ms Cummings says in an emailed statement.

The waiver has been extended to support people who have been displaced within and from Northland, Coromandel, Tairāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay and Tararua, she says. “For whānau who have been isolated in small communities in Hawke’s Bay, they will also be covered.

“For background, displaced means people who cannot live in their usual home or residence.”

Ms Cummings could not say how much the fee waiver had cost Te Whatu Ora so far.