The President of the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU), Michael Guckian has warned that many pharmacies in Cork could be facing closures if the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) decision to change the payment system for medicines is implemented.  

Last month, the HSE announced that it was introducing a new payment system which would see it reduce the reimbursement price it pays to pharmacies on medicines from 17.66 per cent to 8 per cent from 1 January 2008 and 7 per cent from 1 January 2009.

Speaking at a meeting of pharmacists from across Cork City and County to discuss these new plans the IPU President said, “The HSE decision may lead to closures of pharmacies in many rural and marginalised communities, which tend to have a higher proportion of medical card patients. It will mean job losses in these communities and longer distances for patients to travel to get their medicines if their local pharmacy closes down. For the pharmacies that do survive, patients may also to have to endure reduced opening hours and longer waiting times, as pharmacies may have to let staff go.”

Cork pharmacist Tadhg O’Leary of Blackpool Bridge Pharmacy also warned that if implemented, the new system will make the medical card scheme unviable for pharmacists to deliver to the  143,254 medical card patients in Cork from December.

Pharmacist Michael O’Connor, of O’Connor’s Pharmacy in Douglas, stressed that  pharmacists are now calling on the HSE to reverse this decision and to get into meaningful talks on a new pharmacy contract with their trade union, the Irish Pharmaceutical Union.

Meanwhile in a recent statement from the HSE, a spokesperson said that there is no justification for any pharmacy to withdraw from the state drugs schemes on the basis of the recent reform of prices paid to pharmaceutical wholesalers. 

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