Pharmacists down tools in row over pay

PATIENTS with urgent prescriptions may find it difficult to get service on Wednesday when pharmacists attend an all-day mass meeting in Dublin.

All 1,600 pharmacists, members of the Irish Pharmacy Union, have been called to discuss a controversial payment system for pharmacies.

Hundreds of pharmacies are expected to shut their doors and as medicines can only be dispensed in the presence of a qualified pharmacist, patients may find difficulty in having their prescriptions filled.