BCAC Chair Libby Burgess has just been appointed as a member of Pharmac’s new Consumer and Patient Working Group, chaired by Malcolm Mulholland of Patient Voice Aotearoa.
The new group was set up in response to the Consumer Engagement Workshop Report commissioned by Pharmac’s Board late last year. These workshops were “aimed at resetting the organisation’s relationships with patient groups and advocates”. (You can read more about this here.)
Libby’s appointment is for one year and she will join other advocates representing various patient groups. The other members are Rachel Smalley (Deputy Chair, The Medicine Gap), Tim Edmonds (Leukaemia & Blood Cancer NZ), Deon York (Haemophilia NZ), Chris Higgins (Rare Disorders NZ), Francesca Holloway (Arthritis NZ), Gerard Rushton (Meningitis NZ), Trent Lush (Heartbeats Charitable Trust) and Tracey Tierney (Epilepsy NZ).
Pharmac says that the new group “will decide what Pharmac focuses on for the reset programme, taking a hands-on role in the delivery of the work to ensure it reflects consumers’ needs, values, and perspectives”. You can read more about this here.
We are thrilled that Libby has the opportunity to work with other patient advocates and hopefully bring about long-overdue positive change at Pharmac.
21 July 2025
