EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Statutory Rules 1990 No
Issued by the authority of the Minister of State for Aged, Family and Health Services.
Subject - National Health Act 1953
National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) Regulations (Amendment)
These Regulations amend a number of Regulations as they relate to the Safety Net provisions of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The amendments enhance financial control of the Scheme.
Paragraph 84D(7)(c) of the National Health Act 1953 (the Act) provides for the prescribing of particulars to be included on a prescription record form where a pharmaceutical benefit has been supplied to the holder of the form. The amendment to regulation 9A adds the amount of the charge made for the supply of the pharmaceutical benefit to the particulars already prescribed. This allows for ease of checking to ensure that the supply of a particular benefit is at no more than the agreed price.
Subsections 84H(1) and (3) of the Act provide for the making of Regulations for the issue of additional or replacement entitlement cards. The amendment to regulation 9C provides that only the Secretary to the Department, and not the approved supplier of the original card (as was previously allowed under the Regulations), can issue additional entitlement cards for cards which have been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed and thereby improves control over the issue of these cards.
The remaining amendments to the Regulations are consequential upon the above amendments.