Pharmacists concerned about Health Bill

The representative body for pharmacists in Ireland has expressed concern that the new Health (Amendment) Bill has been published without a clear platform for health care professionals to have their say.

The new Health (Amendment) Bill will provide for the abolition of the current system of Health Boards and the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU) want clarification on how the Minister for Health proposes to ensure that those at the "coal-face of health service delivery" will have their voices heard.

Speaking today Richard Collis, President of IPU said: "It's extremely disappointing that the Minister is moving forward on his plans to terminate the health boards without yet explaining how the voice of health care professionals is going to be heard in the new Health Services Authority.

"Surely before the current infrastructure is abolished, the public has a right to know how its views - and in particular the expert views of practicing health care professionals - are going to be heard in the new regime," he said.

Collis pointed out that accountants and economic experts have a part to play in our health services - but they have no experience of delivering health services on the ground.

"How can we ever hope to work towards delivering a high quality, patient-focused health care service if practitioners and patients are excluded from the decision making process?" he added.