The right medicine

There can be few situations as distressing for a sick person, or the family of a sick child, in a rich country, than to be told that the medicines needed to resolve their difficulties are beyond the reach of the health service budget.

Something that makes sense on a balance sheet seems heartless and unacceptable in the flesh-and-blood world where emotions meet cold reality.

Yesterday, Health Minister Simon Harris signed a deal to work with Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg to better secure affordable and timely access to new medicines for Irish patients.

This is to be welcomed as the great variation in drug pricing across the EU suggests that health consumers are in need of more protection from rapacious retailers and manufacturers.

This is not just a budgetary exercise but one that will also presents opportunities for sharing information and expertise on new medicines.

In an ideal world everyone should get he drugs they need but we are not living in an ideal world. This initiative might, however, be a step towards that higher ground.