Medicine Availability
Medicine availability in New Zealand is limited compared to other countries such as Australia and the UK. This is in part due to differences in how our medicine buying agency, Pharmac, operates.
Pharmac assesses applications for medicine funding. If the medicine is deemed a valuable treatment option for New Zealand, it will be placed on the ‘Options for Investment’ list. The budget that the Government allocates to Pharmac determines which options can be publicly funded. As this budget is very restrictive, many modern medicines are not funded, or take several years to fund.
Some pharmaceutical companies choose not to register their medicines with MedSafe because this process is expensive and there is no clarity on public funding. In these instances, medicines are not assessed by Pharmac or placed on the ‘Options for Investment’ list; and are not available even when accessing private healthcare (either self-paying or through health insurance).
By comparison, other countries do not have an 'Options for Investment' list; and instead have a right-sized medicines budget. When their equivalent Pharmac agencies determine that a medicine provides value, that medicine is promptly funded by the public health system. This means that the medicines available are more likely to align with international treatment guidelines.
Lists of medicines fully subsidised in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK are regularly updated, and can be found here:
Criteria for accessing treatment
Criteria for accessing publicly funded treatment differs for each country. Usually, you will have to be a resident of the country and there may be certain requirements for proving this. Some key considerations for accessing treatment in Australia and the UK are described below.
It is advised that you contact the consulates from a country before deciding to relocate for medical treatment. This is important to confirm that your situation will meet requirements for publicly funded healthcare, and that you are aware of any costs of your treatment that are not publicly funded, or only partially subsidised. The advice of your haematologist should also be sought, to ensure you are aware of your current and future treatment needs, and the risks of interrupting active treatment to relocate.
Accessing treatment in Australia
Medicare is Australia's publicly funded healthcare system and provides free care at public hospitals and fully subsidised medicines specified on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS).
New Zealand citizens are eligible for Medicare if they can prove they are living permanently in Australia. Examples include purchase of property or signed tenancy agreement, Australian bank accounts, and proof you no longer live in New Zealand (sale of property and shipping of belongings).
It is important to recognise that you won’t be covered by the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement if you travel to Australia for medical treatment. You may need to be prepared to cover the costs of your healthcare until enrolled in Medicare.
For more information, see:
Accessing treatment in the UK
The National Health Service (NHS) is the UK’s publicly funded healthcare system and provides free care at public hospitals and fully subsidised medicines recommended for use by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Most NHS services are free to people who are ordinarily resident in the UK. Being ordinarily resident is not dependent on nationality, payment of UK taxes, National Insurance (NI) contributions, being registered with a GP, having an NHS Number, or owning property in the UK. Ordinarily resident means living in the UK on a lawful and properly settled basis for the time being, and you'll be asked to prove this.
For UK nationals
To get free NHS healthcare you will need to prove that you’ve returned to the UK to live, and you meet the ordinary residence test.
Each patient is considered on a case-by-case basis, and you will be asked to provide proof of ordinary residence relevant to your situation. Examples include purchase of property or signed tenancy agreement, UK bank accounts, and proof you no longer live in New Zealand (sale of property and shipping of belongings).
For more information, see:
Non-UK nationals
Non-UK nationals cannot meet the ordinary residence test if they do not have indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Those with temporary leave to remain of 6 months or more will be covered by Immigration Health Surcharge arrangements. Most people need to pay this surcharge as part of a visa or immigration application. Once paid, you be allowed to start using the NHS free of charge from the date your visa starts.
For more information, see:
