Street Maryan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Street Maryan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 21 March 2012. Volume:678;Page:1148. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
9. 
Hon MARYAN STREET (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he support Pharmac’s provisional decision to engage Auckland company Pharmaco to be the sole supplier of new diabetic meters? 
Hon JO GOODHEW (Associate Minister of Health) 
on behalf of the Minister of Health: The Minister supports the work Pharmac is doing within its significantly increased medicines budget to deliver the best possible services for New Zealanders including access to medicines. To make a change like this Pharmac has to enter into a provisional agreement as it has with Pharmaco and then undertake a very thorough consultative process. Pharmac is now considering the 3000 submissions it has received. 
Hon Maryan Street 
: Does he see any difference between engaging a sole supplier of a medical device without consumer testing that allows people with a chronic illness to manage their condition and engaging a sole supplier of a pharmaceutical that has known effects on known symptoms? 
Hon JO GOODHEW 
: The Minister is very aware of how important this matter is to people with diabetes and can assure them that Pharmac is considering every submission. This in fact is not new territory. Back in 2005 when Pharmac began supplying meters and testing strips it put in place new funding criteria which are still in place today. At the time Diabetes New Zealand said 40000 people would be affected and the then Minister of Health Annette King said in this House that there would always be debate about which products ought to be used and which ones ought to be subsidised. I am advised that this settled down after— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I just urge Ministers if they are not clear on answering a question asked not to go on too long in giving an alternative answer. 
Hon Maryan Street 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked in fact whether there was any difference in the Minister’s view between engaging a sole supplier of a medical device and engaging a sole supplier of a pharmaceutical. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I invite the Associate Minister to answer. I realise the Associate Minister is not the Minister. 
Hon JO GOODHEW 
: Without understanding to which other particular example the member refers I am simply able to answer based on the consultation process that is currently under way with Pharmaco and to say that I cannot compare the two. Therefore that is my answer. 
Hon Maryan Street 
: Why was the CareSens meter not consumer tested to discover how useful a diabetic meter that is not backlit is to a type 1 diabetic who is having a hypo event in the middle of the night and why would such a meter be preferable to the well-established Accu-Chek meter which is backlit? 
Hon JO GOODHEW 
: I am not able to comment on what meters have been tested or have not been tested; that will in fact be a matter for Pharmac. But I am able to comment on the fact that this particular process is a thorough consultative process where all of the submissions will be considered and any concerns—which may mirror the member’s concerns—will be addressed at that time. 
Hon Maryan Street 
: Is he at all mindful of the fact that this proposal by Pharmac has caused great consternation amongst the 150000 people who use such meters and is there any part of this diabetes debacle for which the Minister accepts any responsibility given that he is the Minister of Health? 
Hon JO GOODHEW 
: As I have already outlined to the member there have been processes before about which large numbers of people were very concerned. In fact 40000 people with diabetes in the past were very concerned. I am advised that if a new company is selected there will be training provided in the use of its meters and opportunity for patient engagement. But in fact I remind the member that the decision has not been made. This is a consultation process and perhaps the member is jumping the gun.