Patient advocate calls Government liars, claims they fudged the numbers on Pharmac funding

A patient advocate has called the Government liars and claims they fudged the numbers on their Pharmac funding.

Health Minister Andrew Little admits the 43 percent increase in spending it recently touted actually includes money it had already reallocated to the drug-buying agency.

Balloons spelling out 'help us' filled parliament's playground on Wednesday. It was a desperate cry from families who are scared Pharmac will stop funding children's cancer treatment.

Cancer survivor James Broome told Newshub "that fact is children will die".

"Is that really what we want in New Zealand?"

Pharmac is currently consulting on Rule 8.1 B, a rule that means paediatric cancer treatment is fully funded.

Patient Voice Aotearoa told Newshub that "it's extremely worrying". 

"We never thought Pharmac would openly say actually we're thinking of getting rid of 8.1b," said Patient Voice Aotearoa spokesperson Malcolm Mulholland.

Pharmac wasn't available for an interview about this but said in a statement that it's just seeking feedback and hasn't made any changes or ruled anything in or out at this stage. 

Though the Health Minister was happy to rule it out.

"We will not change current rules about paediatric access to cancer treatments," Little said.

Those treatments are funded by Pharmac's medicines budget. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern recently touted its increase in the House.

"Particularly this Government's decision to increase the medicines budget by 43 percent since we took office," she said.

That equates to a $374 million increase - a boost Labour has promoted.

But it turns out that actually includes $163.7 million of funding the Government had already transferred from hospital budgets to Pharmac.

Only $210.3 million is actually new money. So, it's more of a 24 percent increase.

"The combined pharmaceutical budget has increased 43 percent, including the hospital budget," Little said. 

Newshub asked if he was fudging the numbers. Minister Little said "no".

"It's an outright lie - people are being duped," Mulholland said

People whose lives depend on Pharmac funding.