Prosser Richard: Medicines Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Prosser Richard: Medicines Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 28 February 2012. Volume:677;Page:611. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
RICHARD PROSSER (NZ First) 
: 
 I rise on behalf of New Zealand First and our health spokeswoman Barbara Stewart to speak on the Medicines Amendment Bill. New Zealand First will support this bill’s referral to select committee. It was a pleasure to read such a clear and concise regulatory impact statement as was included because it made our consideration of the bill quite a simple matter and the issues were very well defined.  
Many people rely on medicines and medical devices to stay as well as they can so it is logical to take some measures to streamline the legislation particularly when innovations such as electronic prescribing and teleconsultations are becoming an accepted practice. These new approaches need to be accommodated particularly as they become more commonplace and more widely accepted. It is fair to say that New Zealanders have adapted quite well in general terms to innovations and technology when it comes to their health considerations as we do in many other aspects of life.  
When we look at the Medicines Act 1981 and the Medicines Regulations 1984 it is very obvious that medicine and medical devices have advanced significantly over time and that pace of change continues to accelerate. The number of advances in over-the-counter products such as contact lens solutions eye drops self-testing pregnancy kits and nasal fluids mean that they cannot be considered to be medicines and should not really be classified as such. No doubt there are other things that should be included on this list and will be; the submissions process we hope will identify those.  
In fact technology has advanced significantly over time and it is inevitable that legislation and regulations will need to be amended to capture that advance. We want those advances to continue as we are the recipients of the benefits of those advances. They enable us to be the best that we can be and that is what life is all about. We want to see the definitions of “medical devices” and “medicines” aligned with international norms. We live in an international world and basically we cannot afford to shut ourselves away in our corner of the world and ignore the international influences particularly when we are so dependent on international developments in this area.  
Likewise the provisions relating to the licensing of medicine manufacturers and wholesalers and pharmacies are outdated. Where would we be in fact without trusted community pharmacies? They can provide a wide range of advice and remedies for ailments that are widespread in New Zealand—everything from head lice and wart treatments through to coughs colds and first aid for sports injuries and everything else in between. We have all been there and done that. The pharmacies provide an excellent service which many people do depend on. In fact people attempt to self-medicate before coming to rely on those further up the food chain in the medical profession.  
Pharmacists also provide a valuable professional service of a very high quality that is instantly available for everyone at usually little to no cost apart from the cost of the product. Linked to this are advances that have been made in the training received by pharmacy staff. This has given pharmacy customers the benefit of the experience of a wider cross-section of those working in the pharmacy industry making customers’ understanding of minor health problems much better and allowing them to more ably select self-medicating products. In the past we were often recipients of an in-house product that had been developed at the pharmacy itself which was often better than any generic over-the-counter product.  
The service provided by pharmacists and their staff is absolutely needed by the community and will continue to be needed particularly in rural and provincial New Zealand where access to health services tends to be restricted by population and geography. Looking at any community pharmacy around New Zealand we see that the service they give and continue to give to the community is outstanding as it is right throughout New Zealand. If we need to improve the efficiency of the processes and accommodate new approaches with greater flexibility then it logically follows that more streamlined processes will be required. Change is always a part of the landscape and this bill recognises that fact.  
New Zealand First is also interested in the provision aligning the prescribing framework for nurse practitioners and optometrists with medical practitioners dentists and midwives. In fact we would have thought that this group of people would already have separate regulations within their scopes of practice that allow this to occur. We all know and the public appreciates that health professionals do have some basic prescribing rights. A visit to the dentist and the possible prescription of antibiotics for example at the time of treatment should not then also necessitate a visit to the doctor to obtain the required drugs. It appears that the legislation is outdated and needs modernisation if it is to work efficiently. There is little point in having a law that does not serve its stated purpose.  
We note that the regulatory impact statement was also referred to by the Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne and by Ms Street. It indicates that the proposals in the bill will be consistent with the framework of a joint Australia - New Zealand therapeutic products agency should such an authority ever come into being. We are pleased that this bill does not advocate or advance such an agency at this time because that is something that New Zealand First will oppose not because we are against ensuring the safety of therapeutic products that are brought into New Zealand but because we believe that standards pertaining to such safety and the dosages that are available to New Zealanders should be set solely in New Zealand and by New Zealanders and not be dependent on any kinds of regulations determined in Australia.  
All in all however we see a large degree of necessary good in this bill and New Zealand First will support this bill’s referral to select committee. Thank you.