This consultation aimed to finalise a national list of medical devices currently used by Health New Zealand hospitals.
Establishing the comprehensive list will not only support better planning and investment decisions - it will help identify funding priorities and guide future purchasing. Ultimately, this comprehensive list lays the foundation for a single national list from which public hospitals will select their medical devices, ensuring the best possible health outcomes for New Zealanders.
We appreciated the time and effort taken by everyone who reviewed the information and provided feedback. Your insights have been invaluable in helping ensure the list is as accurate and representative as possible.
During February and March 2025, Pharmac consulted on a comprehensive list of hospital medical devices.
The aim of this consultation was to help finalise a national list of medical devices currently used by Health New Zealand hospitals. This included reviewing a proposed list of additional devices identified through recent purchasing data - sourced from the Health System Catalogue (HSC) and Health NZ spend data – to show items bought over the past two years.
We have made significant progress with this work, which represents a big step forward. The new comprehensive list provides a clear picture of the medical devices currently funded and used by all public hospitals. Although a few gaps remain, we will be actively engaging with stakeholders over the coming months to address these issues.
This comprehensive list provides a clear, up-to-date picture of the medical devices currently funded and used in public hospitals, as well as those medical devices provided by hospital services for use in people’s homes.
This list enhances transparency by making it easier to see which devices are in use or available for use across the country. It also supports greater consistency, helping ensure equitable access to medical devices no matter where someone receives care.
To ensure we reached the right people with this consultation, we focused our communications to people who use, buy, sell, or manage hospital medical devices. This included hospital staff, suppliers, and individuals who may use medical devices in their homes. This included the following activities:
Before the consultation opened, we sent advance emails to raise awareness. These were shared with:
Key contacts within Health New Zealand
Professional healthcare and consumer advocacy groups
Supplier networks, including the Medical Technology Association of New Zealand (MTANZ)
Individual suppliers via direct email
Subscribers to Device Advice, our bi-monthly online newsletter
We also hosted a supplier webinar in late 2024 to outline the proposed approach and answer early questions.
Once the consultation launched, we distributed the consultation documents via email to all identified stakeholders. Consultation information included specific guidance for suppliers, Health NZ, and consumers/other interested parties on how to submit their feedback. This was followed by a series of reminder emails to encourage participation and help ensure the information reached the right people.
At the close of the consultation, we sent a final email to confirm its conclusion. To complete the process we prepared this summary document which has been shared with everyone who received previous communications about this consultation as well as being available on our website.
Thank you
We want to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to engage with this consultation. Whether you provided feedback, asked questions, or shared the consultation with others, your input has been incredibly valuable.
Your insights have helped us better understand the medical devices in use by public hospitals and have highlighted important considerations for how we manage and plan for these devices in the future.
Next steps
We will be providing an update soon on the next steps in this work as we continue to develop and refine the future of medical devices. This includes gathering input on key operational aspects, such as how requests for new medical device technology will be received and assessed, the role of expert advice, and the ongoing maintenance and monitoring of purchasing activities. Stakeholder input is vital in shaping a practical and inclusive approach, ensuring that any new processes effectively meet the needs of those who use, supply, and manage medical devices.
We look forward to continuing this important conversation with you.
