1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,520 Speaker 1: So as we previewed by the Acting Prime Minister on 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: the show yesterday at about this time, David Seymour's FARMAC 3 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: then I see yesterday afternoon fired off the letter of 4 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:09,640 Speaker 1: expectations to his agency. They need to improve culture and 5 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:12,000 Speaker 1: public perception. The trity why Tanger also get to mention 6 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: and in charge of making this regalsy is the FARMAC 7 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: chair of course, Paula Bennett. 8 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 2: Who is with us. 9 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:16,799 Speaker 1: Very good morning to you. 10 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 2: Good morning. 11 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 1: Are you aligned with the minister? 12 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 2: Yes, the mister has laid out his expectations very clearly 13 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 2: and it's now my job to try and implement that 14 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 2: into the organization. 15 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 1: Do you have an executive aligned with your and his view? 16 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 2: Yes, yes, I believe so. I mean we're having discussions 17 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 2: and you know there's different views, and you know, people 18 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 2: have been under one sort of regime and one letter 19 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 2: of expectation from a very different minister and now they 20 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 2: have put one. So there's a lot of discussions still 21 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 2: go on. 22 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:50,519 Speaker 1: I think do you agree with the letter in the 23 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: sense that FARMAC have been troubled, they've been needlessly defensive? 24 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 2: Well, I mean I definitely would say that they have 25 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 2: been somewhat defensive and I don't know if i'd use 26 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 2: the word needlessly. I mean, they're having to say no 27 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 2: more than they can say yes. They do care about 28 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,680 Speaker 2: New Zealanders and want to deliver more medicines, and they 29 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 2: haven't had the budget to do that, and so as 30 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 2: a consequence, there's a lot of frustration and there's a 31 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 2: lot of anger, and they've perhaps closed themselves in instead 32 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 2: of going more openly outward, which is what I think 33 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 2: we'd all like to see. 34 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: What I've found fascinating about public servants and I look 35 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 1: at I talk of them as fit particularly she can 36 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: be something and then something completely different. How do you 37 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: do that? 38 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 2: I don't know how to answer that. I would just 39 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:39,759 Speaker 2: say that I think Sarah cares a lot about delivering 40 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 2: for New Zealanders. She's incredibly smart and intelligent and knowledgeable 41 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 2: about medicines and medical devices and the role that she's in. 42 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 2: And certainly she's been a great help to me in 43 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 2: the last couple of months as I've been in the role. 44 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: What do you see the problem has been with the 45 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: Treaty WHITEITANGI and it's obsessioned by various government departments and 46 00:01:59,040 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: specifically in your role. 47 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 2: Fharmic yeah, well, I mean they were given a clear 48 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 2: mandate from the previous government that they were to implement 49 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 2: the treaty throughout the organization and how they make decisions, 50 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 2: and they put a lot of effort into that. You know, 51 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 2: I think the Minister is quite clear and that that's 52 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 2: you know, not the main mandate for the organization, and 53 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 2: instead they need to be looking at, you know, the 54 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 2: need of medicines for all New Zealanders, irrelevant of race. 55 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: Could they, in your experience in looking into the organization 56 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,079 Speaker 1: point to anything tangible that as a result of dealing 57 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: with the treaty in the way they did that they 58 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,679 Speaker 1: improved the outcome for anybody in this country at all. 59 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 2: Not not something that I can point to, you know, 60 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 2: I do think there's something, you know, we are responsible 61 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 2: as well for access, and there's something in those more 62 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 2: rural communities you get a different standard of care, if 63 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 2: you like, in Auckland because of your access to hospitals 64 00:02:57,880 --> 00:02:59,639 Speaker 2: and medicines, and we want to make sure that those 65 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,800 Speaker 2: medicine to getting to the more rural areas and being 66 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 2: administered to the right people. So in that consequence, I 67 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 2: think it could be affecting Mary that you know, traditionally 68 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 2: do love more rural areas. 69 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: Sometimes when can I get you on the program and 70 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 1: you can go, Mike, it's working. 71 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 2: Look, every day, it's going to improve. That's how I work. 72 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:21,800 Speaker 2: I believe in continuous improvement. You know, it's not going 73 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 2: to happen overnight, but if every day we're making better decisions, 74 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:27,400 Speaker 2: and you can see the speed that with the money 75 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 2: that they've got that they're rolling out new medicines is 76 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 2: just really impressive. They are working incredibly hard. I know 77 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 2: that that's what they want to do. We've got the 78 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 2: option as well in the letter as to how we 79 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 2: look at if you like embedding that social investment modeling 80 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 2: as well, so thinking that if we get medicines sooner 81 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 2: to the right people, then they may not need operations 82 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 2: as much hospitalizations. That's making savings right across the sector. 83 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 2: And I think that we can move on that sort 84 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 2: of stuff pretty quickly. 85 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 1: Good stuff. We'll stay in touch and go well with 86 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: Paul Bennett, who's the FARMAC chair with us this morning. 87 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 2: For more from the Micro King Breakfast, listen live to 88 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 2: News Talk Set B from six am weekdays, or follow 89 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.