Today’s interim release of the PHARMAC inquiry is late and lazy tells us nothing we didn’t know beforehand, says National Party Health Spokesperson Dr Shane Reti.

“It is clearly late and it is clearly lazy in its failure to make any recommendations whatsoever or to address funding.

“Everyone knew the inquiry was a whitewash when they failed to have any pharmaceutical companies on the panel of a PHARMAC inquiry.  When Budget papers embarrassingly revealed Andrew Little was told not to boost this year’s pharmaceutical budget because that would leave nothing for the inquiry, he went ahead anyway.

“There is simply no funding to action any future recommendations. It is all spent on restructuring.

“A National Government would place more money into PHARMAC, improve transparency and benchmark to international best practice.

“If this inquiry can’t make a single recommendation then I will make it for them.  Reduce the $50 per year per person difference in PHARMAC spend between Maori and Non Maori for the same medical condition.

“This is a clear KPI that is actionable and will do more good to address inequities than anything this late and lazy inquiry has come up with.”