Pharmac's handling of a recent funding request has been slammed as devious and underhanded.
Last August Dr Sarah Donovan from the University of Otago applied to the drug buying agency, in conjunction with Auckland YWCA, to fund sanitary products in all decile 1-4 primary, secondary and intermediate schools.
She says she’d been in touch with Pharmac for four years about the issue of sanitary product funding, and drew on international and local research for her application, after advice from the agency.
It wasn’t until she was contacted by 1 NEWS that she found out her application had been taken out of consideration, and was being treated as a research proposal instead.
“It’s totally their priority to decline funding it but when you apply you do sort of expect some sort of rationale, formally to be advised of that and we haven't been, which is perplexing,” she said.
Professor Kevin Dew from Victoria University of Wellington has been studying Pharmac for 10 years, he says Pharmac’s treatment of the application is worrying.
“For New Zealand, we have to rely on Pharmac to have robust and clear processes and this was clearly something quite different where they've, I think, been devious and underhanded,” Professor Dew said.
1 NEWS has been seeking an interview with Pharmac for several weeks, but the agency has declined.
In a statement, Pharmac’s director of operations Lisa Williams said Pharmac is “treating this application as a research proposal, given it is a pilot, is timebound and seeks to establish therapeutic benefits from menstrual pads.”
But Dr Donovan said it’s clear her application was not one for research funding, but for provision of sanitary products in schools. A costing analysis was even provided, which found it would cost just over $1 million to fund the products for the targeted students.
Professor Dew says the handling of the application casts doubt over other applications that have been declined.
“It fundamentally undermines our capacity to trust in Pharmac and that is huge I think,” he said.
Dr Donovan says it’s a sign of officials reluctance to deal with issues that largely affect girls and women, and wants to see menstrual products formally categorised as a health need.
“It’s frustrating in the sense that I feel like issues around women and girls and menstruation always get put to the side. I think this is perhaps an attempt to put menstrual issues in the social problem domain when it’s a health issue.”
The Government has promised action on period poverty, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying it’s a “personal priority” for her.
An announcement about Government funding for sanitary products in schools is set to be made before the Budget.
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