IPU to take legal action against Health Minister

The Irish Pharmacuetical Union is to take legal action against the Government following Health Minister Micheal Martin’s decision to deregulate the pharmacy trade.

IPU president Marie Hogan said the union will take court action to seek a declaration that the minister was wrong in law when making the decision.

Speaking at a mass meeting in Dublin last night, she was highly critical of the move to abandon regulations introduced in 1996, just three months into a formal review process.

In addition to court action, the IPU has decided to withdraw its cooperation from the State in a number of areas to highlight the clerical work pharmacists do free of charge.

The IPU claims electronically for payments for dispensed prescriptions.

Ms Hogan said the union’s members demanded that they return to making manual claims, a move that will create administrative problems for the Department of Health.