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Podcast: The Front Page
Episode: Rachel Smalley on Pharmac, emails, and if anyone can fix our drug-buying agency
Description: For the past few years, former broadcaster and journalist Rachel Smalley has been advocating for change in how our country funds medicine. Currently, Pharmac is the crown entity that decides which medicines to fund for use by New Zealanders. But Pharmac has become a dirty word to many people with life-threatening or rare illnesses, who struggle to access the drugs they need to treat their condition. Despite years of advocacy on this subject, Smalley has struggled to gain an interview with Pharmac’s top brass to address the criticisms of how they operate. So, s...