Roslyn Pharmacy owner Andrew Hou was thrilled with the Government decision to scrap $5 fees for prescription medicines from July this year.
The decision, revealed in Budget 2023 yesterday, will cost $618.6million over four years.
It was significant for many New Zealanders, Mr Hou said.
"We’re delighted. I’ve worked as pharmacist for 20 years and there’s been so many cases where people have really struggled to pay for their prescription."
Pharmacies had bent over backwards to accommodate them, but now that pressure was lifted.
"People that had to choose between getting their heart pills or food, they don’t have to worry about that now."
No-one had been expecting much, and the news had come as a surprise, he said.
It would mean a huge boost in the health outcomes of all New Zealanders.
"That’s exactly what primary health should be all about, and we’re just over the moon.
"It’s a game changer."
Antidote pharmacy group director Chin Loh also said it was good news for the community, calling it the easiest, cheapest decision the Government could make to improve access.
It felt timely, given inflation.
Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said the move would make it easier and cheaper for people to access the medicines they needed.
"The $5 charge can be a barrier to some New Zealanders getting the medicines they need, and this is especially the case at time when people are facing increasing pressures on household budgets," Dr Verrall said.
"As a doctor, there were times when my patients did not collect their medication, and in fact we know more than 135,000 adults did not collect their prescription because of cost in 2021-22."
This was particularly the case for low-income families, Māori, Pasifika peoples and disabled New Zealanders.
"Free access to medicine will also relieve pressure on the health system.
"Removing the co-payment charge will help reduce the demand on hospitals and other health services."
"This will benefit a huge range of people including almost 770,000 New Zealanders over the age of 65 who received prescription medicines in the community last year."
