Pharmac ends free flu vax for older Ma¯ori, Pasifika

Pharmac has withdrawn its support of free flu vaccines to Ma¯ori and Pasifika people aged 55 to 65.

This week Pharmac said it was injecting $1 million into flu vaccines that will be available to those who are most vulnerable to influenza.

In 2022 and 2023, Pharmac widened the access to free vaccines for Ma¯ori and Pasifika aged 55-65 and children up to 12 years old by using funding from the last Government’s Covid-19 budget. But that budget has now ended.

Pharmac director pharmaceuticals Geraldine MacGibbon said: “We know it is difficult to hear that while you or your wha¯nau were able to access the flu vaccine in the past for free, you don’t have that funded access now”.

She said the fixed budget from the Government led to making difficult decisions of providing the vaccines only to the most vulnerable.

But leading Ma¯ori health campaigner and Te Kohao Health director

Lady Tureiti Moxon said it was “another anti-Ma¯ori stance because their way of looking at this policy is very black and white, they are not looking at the fact that Ma¯ori die seven years younger”.

Moxon said it was another blow for families who were low-income and vulnerable, particularly those who live in poverty.

Te Aka Whai Ora chief medical officer Rawiri MacKree Jansen told RNZ yesterday that Ma¯ori and Pasifika communities are more vulnerable to the flu and end up in hospital in that age group.

“I was surprised and I got the heads-up about a week, 10 days ago. It’s a bit disappointing as it was an important contribution to better health outcomes, particularly Ma¯ori and Pacific.”

The rationale for the original process was to prevent the age group from dying sooner, especially Ma¯ori and Pasifika.