New medicine funding could be life-saving for rural areas, health expert says

From March 1, rural clinicians will carry a wider range of emergency drugs. Photo / Hush Naidoo Jade Photography, Unsplash

By RNZ

A rural health expert says increased access to pain relief and blood-clotting medications will improve medical outcomes, which could be life-saving for patients in remote areas.

Pharmac on Monday announced new funding for emergency treatments in rural communities from March 1.

The funding specifically provided an extended list of medications available to midwives assisting in home births in remote locations, and Primary Response in Medical Emergency (Prime) services – specially trained GPs and nurses who are first responders for trauma and medical emergencies in rural areas where ambulance services are not readily available.

Rural Health Network clinical director Rebekah Doran told RNZ’s Morning Report that having an extended list of medications will make a huge difference.

Those in remote locations had often needed to wait several hours for the right treatment, even for things like pain relief, Doran said.

The Rural Health Network was particularly pleased to see the quickly-administered pain relief methoxyflurane, colloquially called the “green whistle”, added to the list of funded medications for Prime services, she said.

“It’s something you can inhale and acts as a really quick pain relief for moderate to severe pain, and certainly that will be great for those people involved with trauma or severe pain who are in a rural community and having to wait a while for an ambulance to come.”

Intravenous tranexamic acid – a blood-clotting agent – would also be provided to rural midwives assisting in homebirths, which could be used to prevent severe bleeding, she said.

“When women have very heavy bleeding after giving birth, it can make the difference [between life and death], so the earlier it’s given, the better outcome.”

Pharmac director strategy, policy, and performance, Michael Johnson, said the increased funding was aimed at ensuring those in remote areas were given the same access to emergency healthcare as those in urban centres.

Pharmac would also fund ketamine for uncontrollable pain in people receiving palliative care in their communities, he said.

“Ketamine is currently funded for palliative care in hospitals, but not in the community.

“Ketamine will be available by prescription or pre-stocked in rest homes and hospices so that people can get it when they need it.”

List of drugs to be funded

Prime services:

• Droperidol, glucose (5% 100 ml bag and 10% 500 ml bag)
• Ketamine, methoxyflurane
• Intravenous tranexamic acid
• Enoxaparin 100 mg

Home births:

• Intravenous tranexamic acid for postpartum haemorrhage

- RNZ