Unichem Waipukurau Pharmacy

12/05/2025

https://healthify.nz/health-a-z/m/measles

06/09/2024

Just had notification from the public health team. We have an outbreak in CHB. Please be aware.

Whooping cough (pertussis) causes bouts of intense coughing and trouble breathing. Vaccination makes you less likely to get whooping cough and makes it milder if you do get it.

26/06/2024

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/central-hawkes-bay-mail/central-hawkes-bays-eighth-annual-swim-a-thon-raises-nearly-7000/RWU2FRMJOJGSFJKJ6UMD5BPGSY/

Support for the primary schools' programme is strong.

05/01/2024

Try this one, good information for everyone.

How much should you use and when should you use it - test how sunsmart you are in this trivia challenge.

16/10/2023

This fellow is looking for a home. Pop in and grab a colouring competition entry form from the team. Competition closes this (long) weekend.

01/08/2023

Hi, to the person in the blue vehicle wearing a red and black shirt, shorts and sun hat at 6.15 pm tonight please return the red bins you picked up from the back of the pharmacy. These belong to our supplier and were to be collected on 2/8/23.

04/07/2023

https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/scabies #:~:text=Anyone%20can%20get%20scabies.,by%20a%20person%20with%20scabies

We have treatment options, and under the minor ailments scheme, if you qualify (eg: all children under 14 qualify) there's no charge.

Scabies is caused by a tiny mite which digs under the skin and lays eggs. Small blisters grow on the skin above each egg and the skin gets very itchy.

03/07/2023

it's 5:36pm

Since 5pm today we've received 48 prescription emails (some which are 5+ pages long), so far.

This represents two and a half hours to 3 hours work (for one person), just to enter into our software.

For context, we received 120 prescription emails between 8:30am and 5pm

6:01 we're up to 74 seperate prescription emails since 5pm

28/06/2023

From 1st July the $5 dollar prescription co-payment is no longer. This is a Good Thing, pharmacy will no longer be in the position of having to collect money on behalf of the health department*.

This also applies to prescriptions dispensed prior to 1st July if they are collected from Saturday on wards. You don't need to ask your doctor to delay sending the prescription if you're intending to collect it after 1st July.

However: there is an exception to this, if you have a prescription from a non approved prescriber, for example, specialists, some dentist prescriptions, some optometrist prescriptions. Having a community services card will change the fee from $15 to $5, but that $5 fee will remain to be collected by the pharmacy and passed on to the health department.

Id like to think the health department will see sense on this and waive those $5 fees too, of all the people subjected to the $5 fee, community services card holders should be first in line to have it waived. For now, this exception remains in place.

*The $5 is collected by the pharmacy on behalf of the health department. If the prescription was supposed to have a $5 fee, MoH collects the $5 dollars from the pharmacy regardless of whether the patient paid the $5.

19/06/2023

Free testing (it's a fingerprick blood test like a diabetes glucose test) 11am-1pm Wednesday June 28th

New Zealand has joined the international World Health Organisations goal to eliminate Hep C by 2030. Part of the NZ response has been to develop a free nationwide programme to identify those with hep C in the community and support them to access free treatment. You may have seen the campaign ‘Stick it to Hep C” www.stickittohepc.co.nz .



The Hep C Team will be in Waipukurau next Wed 28 June 11am – 1pm offering free Hep C testing at Unichem Waipukurau Pharmacy, 125 Ruataniwha St. No appointments necessary



What is Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is an infection of the liver that is spread via blood-to-blood contact. An estimated 45,000 New Zealanders are infected with hepatitis C, and around 25% of them don’t know they have been infected. Every year there are around one thousand new hepatitis C infections in Aotearoa. If undetected and left untreated hepatitis C can lead to can lead to liver disease, liver failure, and in some people liver cancer.



Testing & Treatment.

There is a simple finger prick test to show whether you have ever been exposed to the Hep C virus. The test takes 5 – 10 minutes and produces immediate results. If this test is positive you will need a follow-up lab blood test to see if the virus is still active as sometimes you can clear Hep C yourself without treatment. However free treatment that can cure hepatitis C in up to 98% of cases is available ( usually 8 weeks of oral Maviret). This means that within 8-12 weeks of starting the treatment, your blood will no longer contain the hepatitis C virus.

21/05/2023

Something I've been talking about for a while is the S.M.A.R.T. asthma management system.

If you used to use a separate preventer and reliever inhaler, but now the doctor is asking you to use just the one inhaler, this is what they're doing.

We know that an asthma attack can be first seen in increased reliever use 15 days out. By using S.M.A.R.T. therapy the preventer dose is organically increased alongside the reliever. This can head the asthma attack off and prevent it. There are other advantages.

08/05/2023

40Prescription emails received between 8:19am and 8:29am this morning.