6. Question No. 6—HealthLAURA TRASK (ACT) to the Associate Minister of HealthQuestion No. 6—Health6. LAURA TRASK (ACT) to the Associate Minister of Health: What announcements has he made about delivering more medicines to New Zealanders?Hon DAVID SEYMOUR (Associate Minister of Health): Well thank you Mr Speaker it's an excellent question. Yesterday in collaboration with my friend and fellow Whangārei-n Dr Shane Reti the Minister of Health our Government's announced $604 million of extra money to buy medicines for New Zealanders over four years. This has been described as a game-changer and in a country that has underinvested in medicines and treatments for far too long it most certainly is. And Pharmac advised that this kind of money will help up to 175000 people with medicines they wouldn't have otherwise had: 54 medicines; 26 of them aimed at cancer. That is a real change in our approach to healthcare in New Zealand.Laura Trask: Is he confident that Pharmac will be able to continue delivering improved access to medicines?Hon DAVID SEYMOUR: I have spoken with the chief executive of Pharmac and they accept that making sure that this huge uplift in funding is spent well to get value for money for all New Zealand patients is a challenge and they have been allocated additional money in the range of $2 million to $3 million a year to help them with this enormous procurement task of more medicines for Kiwi patients. However this is what Pharmac are good at. They are an entity filled with people—skills in finance and pharmacology and negotiating to get the best possible deal for Kiwi patients and I'm very confident that's what they will do with these additional funds.Laura Trask: Why is it important that the Pharmac model is used to deliver new medicines?Hon DAVID SEYMOUR: As I've said Pharmac is filled with people with I think extraordinary ability and I'm very proud to be the Minister responsible for this Crown entity. They have people with the skills and abilities they know the pharmaceutical market they know the developing technology they know how to negotiate and they know what value for money looks like. They are also an entity that is on a growth curve improving its listening to patient voice and improving its agility and dexterity at delivering and funding medicines faster as the Government works through Medsafe to consent them faster. For all of those reasons I think it's an excellent entity and it's going to do a very good job at delivering these extra medicines for Kiwi patients.Laura Trask: What else will he be doing to improve access to medicine?Hon DAVID SEYMOUR: Well we are reforming Medsafe and the way that it consents new medicines in particular putting in place the rule of two where a pharmaceutical or treatment that is consented in two other peer countries must be consented in New Zealand within 30 days of application to Medsafe. We have already ensured that medicines which are being consented with Medsafe can begin consenting for funding with Pharmac simultaneously saving time getting medicines for market so they can start making New Zealanders well more quickly. This is the kind of thinking and innovation that is required in order to get better outcomes for the patient and may actually save the taxpayer money elsewhere in the healthcare system by allowing New Zealanders to return to work and live more active lives which is good for the taxpayer and good for them.