NSW GOVERNMENT EASES COST BURDEN FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER AND CHRONIC CONDITIONS

Patients with cancer and other chronic conditions will receive a financial boost under a plan to scrap co-payments on some medicines.

The NSW Government will cover the co-payments for public hospital patients receiving Section 100 (s100) Highly Specialised Drugs and Section 100 injectable and infusible chemotherapy medicines.

The change - taking effect on October 1 - will save patients with cancer or other chronic diseases an average $1,400 per year.

“We are delivering on our election commitment to people living with complex illnesses, who are suffering enough without the stress of having to fork out for essential but expensive medication,” Mrs Skinner said.

“This change will benefit many people living with cancer and HIV, patients with organ and tissue transplants, schizophrenia, hepatitis, Crohn’s disease and cystic fibrosis.”

Other conditions treated by s100 Highly Specialised Drug medicines include psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis and severe allergic asthma and rare diseases, particularly those affecting children, including juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Mrs Skinner said the co-payment will be paid for eligible patients regardless of whether prescriptions are filled at NSW public hospital pharmacies, NSW community pharmacies or through pharmacies used by NSW public hospital oncology clinics.

The changes apply to public non-admitted patients, outpatients or day patients, inpatients on discharge from public hospitals and privately referred non-admitted patients of NSW public hospitals.