Interim health minister Chris Hipkins acknowledged the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on securing medication supplies.
“The world is going to be living with the impacts of the Covid-19 global pandemic for some time,” Chris Hipkins says.
“It’s important we continue to invest in our health services and build our capacity to respond to the virus.”
Hipkins noted the cost of medicines had increased during Covid-19 due to supply issues.
To address this, the minister announced an extra $150 million for Pharmac to keep the nation supplied with medicine and medical machinery. He confirmed 348 ventilators are on order and due in Aotearoa by the end of the year.
As part of a continued Covid-19 response, a further $30 million will be invested in the National Close Contact Service. The money will be used for increasing surge capacity and further development of the Covid Tracer App.
Immunisation solution
Māori technologist Karaitiana Taiuru had cautioned against using the Government Covid Tracer app because it stored users' movements in a cloud server.
This cloud server is in Australia and used by an American-owned service. This means Covid Tracer App users' information could be accessed by Australia and the USA as well as the New Zealand government.
He recommended Rippl, an app that stores user movements on their smartphone it is installed on, without backing up to a cloud server.
Hipkins also said he is investing another $23 million into a 'National Immunisation Solution'. This ensures that, when a Covid-19 vaccine is available, it can be distributed around the country as soon as possible.
“We can’t afford to wait for a vaccine to be available – we need to start work now to replace the current National Immunisation Register," Chris Hipkins says.
He says that the current register could not cope with the scale and complexity of a mass Covid-19 vaccination campaign.
This morning, Kevin Pewhairangi, the head of the Māori Pharmacists Association, said his chemists were near to exhausting their medical supply chains. It is unknown how soon their medical supplies will be replenished.
A total of $302.6 million has been allocated in this announcement. It includes $50 million for PPE; $35 million for oxygen supply; and $14.6 million for telehealth services.