Proposal to expand pharmacy services
What’s being proposed
Health New Zealand and Pharmac are proposing to expand the range of funded medicines community pharmacies can provide directly to people in their communities including:
- treatment for scabies
- oral rehydration for children
- pain and fever management for children
- treatment of headlice
- treatment for conjunctivitis for children
- treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections
- the emergency contraceptive pill
To support this change, Health New Zealand would fund consultations provided by community pharmacies for eligible people, and Pharmac would amend the Pharmaceutical Schedule to allow Direct Provision by Pharmacists in accordance with their pharmacy agreement.
Health New Zealand would work with pharmacists to implement resources to support this proposal.
Consultation closes at 5pm, Thursday 30 April 2026 and feedback can be submitted through our online form.
Who we think will be interested
- Pharmacists
- Māori Pharmacists Association
- Pacific Pharmacists Association
- Pharmaceutical suppliers and wholesalers
- Primary care providers
- GPs and Primary Health Organisations
- Health Professional Bodies
- Wellchild Tamariki Ora providers
- Social services
- Early childhood education/care providers
- Schools
- Community Services Card holders and their families/whanau
- Parents and Guardians of people under 14
Why we are proposing this
Health New Zealand and Pharmac understand the important role that Pharmacists have in providing timely healthcare to people in New Zealand and the barriers that many people face in accessing appropriate care and treatment.
To help address this, Health New Zealand and Pharmac are proposing to support the role of community pharmacy as a first point of contact for those seeking clinical care. This will support the Government’s priorities relating to timely access to quality health services (including achievement of health targets).
Health New Zealand and Pharmac expect to continue to work together on this, and the range of funded medicines that could be provided directly by pharmacies could be expanded further in the future. Any future expansions would be subject to separate consultation and decision-making processes. All medicines would be supplied in accordance with any relevant regulatory requirements for Pharmacist provision.
Details about the proposal
Treatments included in this proposal
This proposal would result in a note being added to Section B of the Pharmaceutical Schedule from 1 June 2026 to allow pharmacies to supply the following currently funded medicines directly to the following groups of people without a prescription when providing an ICPSA Extended Pharmacy Service.
The below treatments would also continue to be funded via a prescription for the same populations as they are now. Pharmac is not making any changes to funded eligibility.
|
Treatment |
Eligible population for pharmacy service provision |
|---|---|
|
Acute Analgesia and Fever Management
|
People under 14 years old |
|
Acute Oral Rehydration
|
People under 14 years old
|
|
Acute Bacterial Conjunctivitis
|
People older than two years and under 14 years old
|
|
Headlice Treatment
|
People under 14 years old and their whānau. |
|
Scabies Treatment
|
People under 14 years old and their whānau. |
|
Emergency Contraception*
|
Women under 25 years old |
|
Acute Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infection
|
Women aged 16 to 65 years old |
*Funded supply of the emergency contraceptive pill can already be provided directly by pharmacists to people of all ages who need it. There would be no change to these arrangements or its listing on the Pharmaceutical Schedule. However, under this proposal, Health NZ would also fund pharmacies to provide the consultation required to supply the emergency contraceptive pill to women aged under 25 years.
Funding for pharmacy services
Health NZ would fund the consultation between pharmacists and eligible service users.
An Extended pharmacy service consultation fee, to be paid by the service user may also apply, which would be reduced if the person is a Community Services Card holder.
Health New Zealand is working with the pharmacy sector to finalise funding arrangements for consultations and any consultation fees that may be charged to service users.
Prescription Copayments would still be payable, unless the Service User is exempt, for medicines supplied as part of an Expanded Pharmacy Service.
Possible prescription charges (includes list of people who are exempt) | Health NZ(external link)
To provide feedback
Fill out our online form(external link) by 5pm, Thursday 30 April 2026 to provide feedback.
All feedback received before the closing date will be considered prior to a decision being made on this proposal.
Your feedback may be shared
When you give feedback on a consultation, your feedback becomes official information that Pharmac holds. Pharmac has legal responsibilities for how we manage this official information, under laws such as the Official Information Act and Privacy Act.
Pharmac may receive a request from people for official information, which could include your feedback. Legally, Pharmac must consider whether your feedback should be released.
We will consider your views when assessing whether the feedback has to be released. Tell us if there is anything about your feedback that you would prefer wasn’t released.
If your feedback is proposed for release, then Pharmac will contact you, unless there is a legal reason that we can't.
Please note that Pharmac collects and holds your information in line with our Privacy Statement.