{"id":557156,"date":"2026-01-31T21:27:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T21:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/557156\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T21:27:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T21:27:14","slug":"12-month-prescriptions-now-available-rnz-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/557156\/","title":{"rendered":"12-month prescriptions now available | RNZ News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bottles<\/p>\n

\nPhoto: 123RF\n<\/p>\n

Twelve-month prescriptions for long-term medications take effect from Sunday.<\/p>\n

Patients can now get a script for up to 12 months of medication<\/a> – up from three – with their doctor’s permission.<\/p>\n

People with 12-month prescriptions will still need to collect their medication every three months, so the changes will not reduce their overall number of visits.<\/p>\n

Pharmacists remain concerned<\/a>. Some have previously told RNZ that explaining the changes, and getting used to a new system, will only add to their already heavy workload when staff are in short supply.<\/p>\n

Gemma Perry-Waterhouse, who owns Sanders Pharmacy in Te Awamutu, said a shortage of pharmacists would make explaining the new system while keeping up with other responsibilities challenging.<\/p>\n

“There has been a decline in the number of pharmacies in New Zealand, and there’s a serious workforce issue. We don’t have enough pharmacists.<\/p>\n

“We are concerned about this rollout and how much time it will take to explain to all patients what to expect with 12-month scripts; the fact that it isn’t for everyone, that their doctor needs to decide that.<\/p>\n

“Be kind to your pharmacy if you’re popping in to talk about a 12-month script and what to expect, because we’re all under a lot of pressure at the moment.”<\/p>\n

In announcing the plan<\/a>, Health Minister Simeon Brown said the previous system “creates unnecessary barriers for patients on stable, long-term medications like asthma inhalers, insulin for diabetes, and blood pressure tablets.<\/p>\n

“It means added costs for patients and more paperwork for health professionals, taking time away from patients with more urgent or complex needs\u2026<\/p>\n

“It’s a win-win for patients and the health system – fewer avoidable hospitalisations, better health outcomes and reduced long-term costs.”<\/p>\n

Sign up for Ng\u0101 Pitopito K\u014drero, a daily newsletter<\/a> curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo: 123RF Twelve-month prescriptions for long-term medications take effect from Sunday. Patients can now get a script for…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":557157,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[5157,3240,210,1060,50,5158,5156,5154,5155,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-557156","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-audio","9":"tag-current-affairs","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-medication","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-podcasts","14":"tag-public-radio","15":"tag-radio-new-zealand","16":"tag-rnz","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115991835147796314","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/557156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=557156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/557156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/557157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=557156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=557156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=557156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}