Patients could be denied medication

THOUSANDS of patients could be denied vital medication because of new measures to eliminate invalid claims under the General Medical Services scheme, Labour’s Liz McManus has warned.

Pharmacists have been told by the Department of Health that from April 1 next they would no longer be reimbursed for invalid claims by medical card holders whose details are not properly recorded in the department’s central data base.

Health Minister Micheál Martin intends making savings of 2 million as a result of moves to tighten up the number of medical card holders.