Suspicions of fraud went back 18 years

THE Department of Health suspected as long as 18 years ago that pharmacists were defrauding the General Medical Services Payments Board of almost €14 million a year in claims for discounted medicine prices, it was reported in a High Court judgment yesterday.

The disclosure was made in a test challenge by more than 20 pharmacies to the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) decision to slash by half amounts paid to pharmacies for the provision of drugs and services under the General Medical Services (GMS) scheme.

Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan, delivering a reserved judgment in a case taken on behalf of hundreds of pharmacies, held that the HSE was in breach of contract in reducing payments to pharmacists.