Pharmacists oppose medical card plans

The Irish Pharmaceutical Union has said it would oppose any plan to extend the terms of the medical card scheme to other services provided by pharmacists on behalf of the State.

The extension is apparently part of the Government's health reform proposals to be revealed today.

IPU spokesman Karl Hilton said: "At the moment, the GMS, or medical card scheme, covers about 70% of prescriptions dispensed on State schemes. Pharmacists are paid a small fee for every prescription which is dispensed. We are paid no mark up or margin on the ingredient cost.

"What they are proposing to do is to extend this to other schemes which we provide for the State and pharmacists are saying 'we are not going to co-operate'."