Revised: 2 May 2013
Information for Consumers
Making a Complaint
If you have been given the wrong medicine
If you think your pharmacist has given you the wrong medicine, or has dispensed the wrong strength or quantity of medicine, you should discuss your concern with your pharmacist first.
Talking to your pharmacist will allow you to establish whether a mistake has been made, and if so, how the mistake might have occurred. It also means that you can immediately be given the correct medicine to continue your treatment. If your doctor has prescribed a different medicine, the pharmacist will be able to sort this out for you straight away.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome after talking to your pharmacist, there are two options for further action. You should contact either:
- the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand or
- the Health and Disability Commissioner's office.
Explain what has happened and they will tell you what you need to do to lodge a complaint.
If you receive a defective medicine
If you think you have been given a defective medicine, you should return it to your pharmacist. This applies whether you have purchased the medicine over the counter, or had it dispensed on a prescription.
Your pharmacist will help determine what is wrong with the medicine. If you are not satisfied with the outcome after talking to your pharmacist, you should contact Medsafe at recalls@health.govt.nz.
If you have a defective medical device
Medical devices range from complex electronic equipment (such as implantible pacemakers and defibrilliators) to insulin syringes and more commonly used products such as wound dressings and condoms.
If you think a medical device you use is faulty, contact your health care professional or the person who supplied it to you. Contact your pharmacist if you suspect a wound dressing, condom, insulin syringe etc. is faulty. They will help determine what may be wrong with the device. If potentially serious, consult /report this issue to your health professional or supplier first and they will report the fault to Medsafe.
