Ardern Shane: Medicines Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Ardern Shane: Medicines Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 28 February 2012. Volume:677;Page:610. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
SHANE ARDERN (National—Taranaki - King Country) 
: 
 The Medicines Amendment Bill is on its way so I am sure that there will be a cure here somewhere. National is committed to delivering high-quality modern public health services with tight budgets while reducing back-office costs. The Medicines Amendment Bill is another step in National’s drive for better sooner more convenient health-care. I have heard some of our opponents on the other side raise this issue but before I address their concerns or their issues can I say what a pleasure it is to be once again back on the Health Committee. We have Dr Paul Hutchison as the chair Dr Jackie Blue Dr Cam Calder and me. I am not sure what my medical colleagues did to deserve that but whatever it is it is a pleasure to be back on the Health Committee again after a 13-year sabbatical.  
It is 13 years since I last served on that select committee and—guess what—13 years ago on that select committee we discussed the need for and started addressing a proposal to change the then prescribing law so that designated prescribers would be allowed to prescribe or issue medicines in certain cases. Certainly the Nurses Organisation submitted to that process if my memory serves me right and said: “Look most of the doctors know that the nurses actually come along and suggest to the doctor that this patient or that patient may benefit from this or that particular medicine.” Obviously their nursing and observation plays a role in the final prescription. The doctors themselves at the time were pretty confident that that could be carried out. So what has happened in the ensuing I guess period of time? Well we had 9 years of Labour of course. What happens when you have 9 years of Labour? Procrastination. Nothing happens. So here we are all these years later once again proposing these sensible changes. 
It was interesting a few moments ago to listen to one of the other members of the select committee Iain Lees-Galloway from Palmerston North talking about what people say while they are in Opposition and then do while they are in Government. I think it was his predecessor the Hon Steve Maharey who perfected the art of saying one thing in Opposition and doing another thing in Government and was proud to pronounce it in this Parliament. I am sure that somehow or other the Medicines Amendment Bill got mixed up in that as well and there were probably good ideas that were suggested by the member in Opposition but they were not things Labour carried out in Government.  
The proposed changes or the suggested changes in the bill that is to go to the Health Committee will bring about the opportunity for competent and professional people such as nurses and various other medical practitioners to prescribe—optometrists are another group that is suggested in this proposal. I am sure if you think about that for a few moments you will see many examples when people have been denied access. I am thinking of the rural sector—public health nurses and those kinds of people—where people are either suffering from a minor illness or are on palliative care suffering from more serious illnesses. The district health nurse or some other suitable person could potentially save either some further illness or some discomfort by having the ability to make a decision without having to go through a process without fear of repercussions—although at a competent level—and make a decision as far as that prescription goes. So I am looking forward to the submission process in the Health Committee ably chaired by Dr Paul Hutchison and I look forward to hearing what the submitters have to say.