PATHA responds to a recent NZMJ article regarding prescribing rates for puberty blockers in Aotearoa New Zealand

The NZMJ article compared New Zealand's prescribing rates with those England, Wales, and the Netherlands.

GP Dr Rona Carroll from PATHA's Executive Committee states:

Puberty blockers can have a positive effect on the mental health and wellbeing of transgender and gender diverse young people. In New Zealand, children and young people access puberty blockers through a careful assessment and support process that includes a team of healthcare professionals and psychological input.

New Zealand is a progressive country which recognises the importance of accessibility to healthcare and support for gender diverse young people. Our model of care is different from the centralised gender clinic model used in the comparison countries in this paper. These centralised clinics overseas have often led to excessively long wait times for care.

For these reasons, it is not surprising that New Zealand has higher rates of prescribing puberty blockers. As the authors point out, the number of transgender young people does not appear to be increasing. Instead, the higher prescribing rates may be because young people feel safe expressing their gender and healthcare needs, have access to appropriate health services and live in a country where inclusion and respect for transgender individuals is growing. It is a good sign that young people are feeling comfortable to discuss their gender with their whānau and express their needs.

Using data from UK gender clinics might not accurately reflect the true need for puberty blockers in the UK, where accessing this care can be extremely difficult. Our goal should not be to match UK prescribing rates, but rather to ensure that gender diverse children and young people receive accessible, individualised, and holistic care. The PHARMAC data presented in the paper suggests that New Zealand is responding to this need.

- 27 September 2024

Further responses are available here.