Demand for funded devices puts pressure on appointments

Family Planning says demand for the fully-funded Mirena and Jaydess contraceptive devices is so high that just two days after PHARMAC’s announcement, it is already booking clients into appointments in early 2020.

Chief executive Jackie Edmond says while the funding is a win for women, the organisation always knew it was going to put them under even more pressure to have available appointments.

"Women getting one of these devices need two appointments - one beforehand to make sure it’s the right and best option for them and a second for the insertion," Ms Edmond says. "We’ve developed protocols that allow us to offer some women phone consultations for their pre-appointment, but the bottom line is that we need to find more appointment times to meet this demand."

ENDS

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