NZ Communities Need Minor Ailments Scheme (MAS) To Relieve System PressureCommunities struggling to get access to health care need Te Whatu Ora to continue its Minor Ailments Scheme (MAS) to allow them to be treated for minor conditions in pharmacies across the motu, Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand (PSNZ) President Rhiannon Braund said today. Professor Braund says that while PSNZ acknowledged the scheme needs to be evaluated, ongoing system pressures means it also needs to continue while that occurs to ensure people receive the treatment they need. “Treating minor ailments at community pharmacies means people are seen earlier and those minor conditions don’t worsen and end up with people affected needing to go to emergency departments. “PSNZ has written to Te Whatu Ora asking for a continuation of the scheme while the evaluation is undertaken. This is particularly important for minor ailments like scabies that can affect a whole whānau.
