Patients in limbo

Patients left in limbo

HSE contingency plan lacking, as pharmacists’ action looks set to go ahead

Emer Gallagher

A MAY Day crisis looms for medical card holders in the county amid major fears about the lack of a comprehensive contingency plan ahead of the planned withdrawal of services by pharmacists from Thursday.
The planned move by the majority of pharmacists across the county to suspend or terminate their contracts for the provision of medicines on the Medical Card Scheme and the Drugs Payment Scheme looks set to go ahead after negotiations between the HSE and the Irish Pharmacists’ Union (IPU) failed to reach an agreement yesterday (Monday).
Both sides are due to recommence talks today and there are hopes a conclusion can be reached. Achill pharmacist Noel Stenson said the pharmacists will go ahead with the planned action if they do not get a favourable outcome. “The pharmacists will not accept half promises of this and that – they want something tangible by May 1 or they will go ahead.”
Last Friday the HSE announced that they had received approval from the High Court to seek injunctions against three Mayo pharmacists but The Mayo News has learned that these injunctions were not granted by the courts yesterday. Instead the HSE has been asked to come back to court on Thursday to examine the possibilities of injuncting each of the estimated 800 pharmacists in the country who have written informing them of suspension or termination of services. Each injunction would have to be enforced on each pharmacist individually and it seems unlikely that the HSE could implement such measures ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
In response to queries regarding a contingency plan if the move goes ahead, the HSE have said: “If a patient receives confirmation that the pharmacist is withdrawing from the schemes or they remain uncertain, they should ask the pharmacist to hand over to them their prescription and medicine record. The patient will then be free to go to another pharmacist who is continuing to provide services. If a patient has difficulty finding another pharmacist, they can contact the HSE through the Local Health Office or the national information line on 1850 24 1850.”
Olivia Foody, a pharmacist from Ardagh, Ballina, said that if the HSE’s unilateral decision to reduce the payments it makes to pharmacists for dispensing drugs under various Government schemes goes ahead, her job is on the line. “My job is not secure. I feel sorry for people coming out of college. In the next ten years the super chains will take over and community-based pharmacies will be forced to close. The large conglomerates do not care and will not be able to offer the same level of services,” she said.
Over 100 people attended a meeting of Ballina Active Retirement Association last week including Dáil Deputies John O’Mahony and Dara Calleary and local pharmacists James Geraghty and Sinead Quinn. Deputy O’Mahony said there were genuine concerns about the lack of a contingency plan if the pharmacists’ action goes ahead.
“As May 1 approaches real fear is being generated. People want to know where they will get their medicines and what will happen if they cannot pay for them, which is the case for many people. It is not acceptable that those people should be put through that trauma and stress in addition to coping with their medical conditions,” said Deputy O’Mahony.