Cork pharmacists face tough decision.

Following on from an emergency meeting of more than 1,200 pharmacists in Dublin yesterday (Wednesday, March 5 ) the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU) has said that widespread withdrawal of pharmacists from the community drugs scheme is now likely.

The meeting heard that the new measures had left many pharmacists with no option but to discontinue their contracts for community drugs schemes because there was no way they could continue their businesses while making a loss and pharmacists unanimously passed a motion which condemned the HSE for unilaterally breaching pharmacy contracts and noted how it was now a matter for individual pharmacists to decide what they would do now.

Speaking to the Cork Independent last night, Cork Spokesperson for the Irish Pharmaceutical Union, Keith O’ Hourihane said pharmacists in Cork have a tough decision to make over the coming days with only two options available for them to choose from; accept what the  Health Service Executive is doing and risk going out of business or withdraw from the community drugs scheme and jeopardise patient care.

Concluding he said that he, like many other Cork pharmacists were seriously concerned about what would happen now. “I don’t know what is going to happen my pharmacy services and I can’t understand why the HSE won’t talk to us,” he said. Concluding, he added, “ I don’t want to withdraw services, but, I have to make a tough choice.”

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