The Wellington branch of the CF association is almost entirely responsible for financing essential equipment for people with CF such as nebulisers (E-Flows and Pari), physio tables, flutter/acapella and PEP’s in the region.

N.B. Funding arrangements vary amongst health boards around New Zealand.

In Wellington the majority of this equipment is neither funded, nor even subsidised by the DHB, or the Ministry of Health. The priority of your CF medical team is to deliver the medication you need to safeguard your health. It is however, the responsibility of the patient to obtain the necessary equipment to deliver the medication.

Wellington Cystic Fibrosis Association supports its members in helping to at least subsidise, and where possible to fund the necessary equipment. It does so through a range of fund raising initatives undertaken by its members.

There is high demand for time-efficient but costly E-Flows

In 2008 Wellington Branch received an extremely generous donation of $20,000 from The Jenny Burns Trust, to be used specifically for the purchase of quality nebuslisers. This has enabled us to widen qualifying criteria, until this money runs out, and purchase a number of E-Flows (at over $1,500 each).

Yes! It is natural that most people would prefer a nebuliser that is the easiest to use and the least intrusive in daily life. However the stark truth is that if demand remains high and no new funds are received, we may simply not be able to afford to fund the newest nebulisers for members. Unfortunately, factors such as how quickly medication is delivered may not come into the equation, particularly where costs are higher than a more basic but less convenient alternative.

Your CF specialist will make a recommendation as to which nebuliser you should use. This may depend on factors such as your level of health, and how many drugs you have to nebulise. Those who only have to nebulise one drug may not be advised to obtain the e-Flow Rapid. Similarly, it may be considered inappropriate to offer one of the more expensive models if you only nebulise occasionally.

An option for those who can afford it is to purchase the nebuliser direct from the manufacturer, although this can be expensive.