€500m health centre plan worries pharmacists

TRADITIONAL community pharmacies are at risk if plans for a €500 million nationwide chain of health centres are allowed to go ahead, the body representing independent pharmacists said yesterday.

The Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU) also said the health centre concept raised serious ethical issues by creating a linkage between doctors and the pharmacies that stock drugs they had prescribed.

The IPU’s comments came in light of plans by pharmacy chain Unicare’s founder Fergus Hoban to set up a network of health centres that would act as a one-stop shop for patients and would contain doctors, dentists, pharmacies, opticians and other medical experts.

IPU president Karl Hilton said the proposed health centre initiative was at odds with the recommendations of expert groups and highlighted a failure by the Government to develop a strategy for primary healthcare.

“The Department of Health has created a policy vacuum in primary healthcare and that vacuum is now being filled by entrepreneurs whose primary interest is financial reward rather that professional healthcare,” said Dr Hilton. “If the department doesn’t clearly set down what will and will not be tolerated in primary health care provision, they will find that the horse has bolted while they are still trying to agree plans for the stable.”

Dr Hilton said it was essential that doctors and pharmacists be independent of each other and that there should be no business relationship between the two professions. This was recommended by the Government’s Pharmacy Review Group and rules to make this clear should be implemented, he said.

The IPU also warned that including pharmacies in the proposed health centre format would benefit bigger pharmacy chains and make it easier for them to corner the market. “This will seriously undermine the viability of traditional, community-based pharmacies leading to less choice for patients and clients,” said Dr Hilton.

Dr Hoban, who made over €20 million when Unicare was sold to German giant Gehe in 2002, initially aims to set up about 10 health centres at a cost of €8 million each. If successful, he sees potential for up to 60 such facilities.