Pharmacists threaten to strike over dispute with HSE

PHARMACISTS have given health authorities a week to begin talks on improved payments or risk withdrawals from community drug schemes.

Many claim they are providing services under the medical card, drug payment and methadone treatment schemes at a loss and have demanded higher fees from the Government if they’re to continue to co-operate.

However, so far, the HSE and Department of Health have refused to engage in full negotiations on the matter and the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU) has given health chiefs an ultimatum: “start talking or our members will stop filling medical card and drug payment prescriptions”.

“Pharmacists have never been on strike before,” said Cork-based IPU member Tadhg O’Leary.

“It’s definitely not something I want to do, but I might be left with no choice.”

Mr O’Leary took over O’Shea’s pharmacy in Blackpool, Cork, two years ago. According to Mr O’Leary, the fees received by pharmacists for dispensing medical card prescriptions hasn’t changed in the last 30 years. “About 80% of our business would be with the medical card scheme. We get a flat fee of 3.26 for each prescription.”

The current proposal from 1,600 IPU members nationwide is that a representative from both sides and an independent chairperson would work towards coming up with a negotiation process.

This follows a shock letter from the health authorities before Christmas which refused to negotiate collectively with the pharmacists.

Emergency meetings of IPU branches around Ireland have been taking place in recent weeks and most have heard threats from members to withdraw from the government-run prescription schemes.

“There’s a lot of frustration out there,” said Mr O’Leary. “There are 266 pharmacies in villages with a population of 1,500 and the worry is that pharmacies in rural areas could close down because they can’t make ends meet.”

Meanwhile, Mr O’Leary says pharmacists feel “under-utilised”.

They could provide more services for the Government, if the resources were available. These could include diabetes screening as well as medicine management which could reduce wastage of prescription drugs, and generic substitution of drugs to give patients more affordable prescription options.