Free Pharmaceutical Benefits

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 97, 24 April 1941, Page 6

Free Pharmaceutical Benefits

Prescriptions Given By Any Doctor REGULATIONS GAZETTED Per Press Association WELLINGTON, April 23. Regulations makiug provision for pharmaceutical benefits were gazetted to-day and are to come into force ou a day to be appointed, by the Minister of Health. The regulations provide that the proprietor of any pharmacy may enter into a contract with the Government to supply all or any types of drugs and medicines covered by the regulations. Payment will be made to him in accordance with rates laid down by the Pharmacy Plan Committee and now adopted by chemists as a pricing system, less a discount of 2j per cent. The scheme extends to prescriptions given by any medical practitioner, whether operating the medical benefits scheme or not, aud to a certain limited extent to prescriptions given by registered niidwives aud obstetric nurses. All drugs, medicines and medicinal preparations which are described in any official pharmaceutical publication are to be supplied free, with the exception of the following: (A) Preparations (except insulin) prescribed by reference to the trade mark or trade name or by reference to tho particular maker (generally known as “proprietaries”); (B) any serum, vaccine or antitoxin; (C) any wine or spirituous liquor of a kind commonly sold by persons licensed to sell intoxicating liquors. In any case where a chemist fills a prescription including any of the preparations in these three groups, be may claim from the fund the amount that would have been payable up to the value jof the preparation actually supplied if 'there exists a preparation of the same chemical definition which could have been supplied at the cost of fund, any excess being payable by the individual : himself. A customer is required to sign a pre- ’ scription when presenting it to a 1 chemist and where the medicine prescribo* is to be supplied more than once 1 tl ” Mi-tomer must give the chemist a receipt on each occasion. The amount . payable bv the fund for medicines com- \ prised in the regulations must be borne , bv the individual. , ” The regulations do not apply to meai* ’ cine supplied to in-patients in pubhe hospitals. In the case of prescriptions 1 made up for out-patients by hospital I boards, pavment as to a trading chemist , is made to the hospital board concerned. There are provisions similar to those 1 in the medical benefits regulations reluting to the termination of agreements, , complaints, and other machinery r matters.