New Zealand's District Health Boards and PHARMAC have common objectives and aim to work together to ensure these objectives are met. This special relationship is founded in our respective roles within the New Zealand Medicines System.

PHARMAC’s role is to manage funding of community pharmaceuticals on behalf of the DHBs, essentially acting as their agent in deciding which medicines are funded. PHARMAC also works to provide DHBs with national procurement projects and assessment of hospital pharmaceuticals, and work alongside DHBs in the development of optimal use campaigns like One Heart Many Lives.

This Memorandum of Understanding, replaces the 2010 Memorandum, and establishes a framework to record and review key projects, strategies and actions that we have agreed to work on together.

2011 Sept 30  DHB and PHARMAC Memorandum of Understanding