Source: Association of Salaried Medical Specialists
Health NZ is silencing cardiologists by denying them the right to object to the removal of ethnicity-based criteria for diabetes medications.
Pharmac is proposing to remove equity-based access for Māori and Pasifika for type 2 diabetes medicines empagliflozin, dulaglutide and liraglutide.
Health NZ told a national cardiology group they can file a submission on the changes, but cannot object to the removal of ethnicity-based eligibility criteria, as reported by RNZ. [link:
Executive director for the Association for Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) Sarah Dalton says this is gagging doctors in favour of “political whimsy”.
“This is yet another thinly veiled attempt by the Government to erode equity in our health system and ignore the evidence,” she says.
“Specialists know that Māori and Pasifika people are most impacted by type-2 diabetes and comorbid conditions.
“Removing ethnicity-based criteria will deny care to thousands of people who need it most.
“Evidence overwhelmingly supports equity-based access. Refusing to listen to doctors won’t make the evidence go away, it will simply make people sicker and cause preventable harm,” Dalton says.
Notes: ASMS has made a submission on the proposed changes. You can read it here: https://asms.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ASMS-to-Pharmac-T2D-SA-consult-Jun-26.pdf