Pharmacists say dispute is ‘out of control’

PHARMACISTS claim their dispute with the HSE is “snowballing out of control” after only half of the 80 people forced to queue for medicine at a HSE dispensary in Donegal went home with drugs.

The HSE, however, said its nine temporary dispensing facilities were “busy but manageable” over the course of the day and reminded customers that 1,100 pharmacies were open nationwide.

It said that up to 600 people had contacted their information hotline yesterday and that it was “working well”.

Hundreds of pharmacies withdrew from the medical card scheme on Saturday in protest at the Department of Health decision to unilaterally reduce their fees.

Earlier, the HSE said only “a very small number of people” have accepted the offer of free transport to collect prescriptions from pharmacies or the alternative emergency dispensaries it has established in local health centres and clinics in the western region.

However, chairman of the IPU Contracts Committee, John Corr, said: “the situation was snowballing out of control in many areas as the HSE dispensaries and other pharmacies struggled to deal with a backlog of prescriptions and medicine shortages”.

“We are receiving many reports of long delays, poor service and lack of stock in North County Dublin, Waterford city, Donegal, Mayo and Kerry. The fact that the HSE is preventing pharmacists from collecting medicines on behalf of their patients is a disgrace,” Mr Corr said.

“One pharmacist in Kerry who checked the prescriptions dispensed to 11 of his patients by the HSE dispensary said eight of them had been filled incorrectly,” while “another pharmacist in Limerick was refused permission to collect medicines on behalf of his patients,” IPU President Liz Hoctor added.

The HSE confirmed it has written to pharmacies that hold HSE Community Pharmacy Contractor Agreements informing them that it is preparing to apply for High Court injunctions to force them to comply with their state contracts.

Head of the HSE’s Primary Care Reimbursement Scheme, Patrick Burke, said pharmacies who have an agreement with the HSE have “a legal and professional duty to provide pharmaceutical services to any member of the public who is eligible for services under the state drug schemes.

“It is the patient’s choice as to which contracted pharmacy they wish to go to for their medicines under the state drugs schemes and every pharmacy with a HSE Agreement is contractually obliged to accept patients under the schemes. Medical cardholders do not have to pay for their medication,” he said.

“A pharmacy with a HSE agreement which is not open for state drug schemes business during normal working hours, or refuses to fill prescriptions from any patient or client is breaching their legal obligations and deliberately neglecting their duty of care to their clients as healthcare professionals.

“A full list of the participating pharmacies is available on the HSE website www.hse.ie or the HSE Infoline on 1850 24 1850.

The HSE lists are based on the number of valid termination notices received from pharmacists.