$3 prescription cost 'too much for some'

Poorer New Zealanders are ending up in hospital because they cannot afford to pay for medicines prescribed to them, a study has found.

Maori and Pacific people are especially hard-hit and the study's author says the only way to ensure equality is for the Government to lower co-payments – the amount patients have to pay for each prescription.

The research, published in the international Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found more than six per cent of the 18,000 people surveyed had put off filling a prescription for financial reasons at least once a year.

That figure jumped to 15 per cent for Pacific people and 14 per cent for Maori.

The results were alarming, lead researcher Santosh Jatrana said.

"We were not expecting that much difference between ethnicities."

Maori and Pacific people not only tended to be more deprived but were also more likely to have greater health needs, Dr Jatrana said.

It was worrying that people who had two or more illnesses – and often needed multiple prescriptions – were also avoiding picking up prescriptions, she said.

"Deferral of necessary drugs is only going to make their conditions worse.

"People who put off buying prescription drugs because of cost are more likely to be admitted to hospital with serious acute conditions as they haven't purchased medication or gone to their GP."

Overseas studies had shown that people who could not afford all their medication resorted to giving themselves half-doses, skipping doses or spending less on basic needs such as electricity or food.

There was a clear message from the study, Dr Jatrana said. "We need to reduce the co-payments. It's very simple and straightforward."

The current charge for prescription drugs that are subsidised by the Government is a flat $3 fee.

People who need 20 or more prescriptions in a year are eligible for a further prescription subsidy, but even the $60 they would have to spend before they became eligible might be too great a barrier, she said. "That would be very prohibitive for people on low incomes."

The total number of people putting off or not filling prescriptions could be even higher than the study suggested.

"Cost is only one of the factors. There can be other barriers – for example, transportation. So if you look at it overall, the proportion might be even higher."

Pre-Budget documents released last week showed Government officials floated the idea of increasing co-payments to save money.

Pacific Health Service Wellington manager Tavita Filemoni said many of the service's patients could not afford basic healthcare.

"We know of a lot of people who are struggling at the moment, not just with prescriptions but with other areas of health."

- © Fairfax NZ News