Michael Duffy
HOLDERS of medical cards in Mayo face the prospect of having to pay for all prescriptions medication from May 1.
Pharmacies across the county are expected to take the unprecedented move of refusing to take the cards on an individual basis, and some pharmacists have already sent letters of notification to the HSE detailing their actions.
One such pharmacist, Joanne Hynes of Ballinrobe, told The Mayo News yesterday (Monday) evening that she had decided to take the drastic action with a ‘heavy heart’.
“I’ve already had sleepless night but, like other pharmacists across the county and country, I feel I have no choice. I have great customers and built up strong relationships down through the years with my medical card customers so telling them I can’t accept their cards will not be easy,” said an obviously perturbed Ms Hynes. The Mayo News understands that over 40 pharmacists have individually decided to take the same action and will not accept medical cards after May 1.
The row between pharmacists and the HSE surfaced as far back as October of last year. Despite negotiations, the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU) have failed to secure changes to the HSE's unilateral decision to reduce payments to pharmacists for dispensing medicine under the scheme.
Ms Hynes said she understood that the HSE want to save money on the dispensing of medicine but their ‘smash and grab’ tactics were not the way forward.
“I, as a pharmacist, have been backed into a corner. I have drafted a letter to all of my customers explaining the reasons for my decision not to take medical cards from May 1. Medical card holders will be told to contact the HSE with regard to a refund system.”
