PHARMACISTS HAVE denied that they have backed down in their dispute with Minister for Health Mary Harney over cost-saving measures and have stressed that the dispute is not over, despite last night’s decision to resume normal services.
A spokesman for the Irish Pharmacy Union said that while the union had ended its action, further disruption would be “almost inevitable” if issues which had led to the dispute were not resolved.
Last night the Irish Pharmacy Union urged members to resume normal services immediately after hundreds of pharmacists withdrew from the State drugs schemes on August 1st in protest at cuts in fees and payments of €133 million introduced by the Government. The 11-day protest led to the closure of many pharmacies, particularly along the western seaboard.
Minister for Health Mary Harney said the cuts would reduce payments to pharmacists by 24 per cent, but said they would continue to earn high margins on prescriptions similar to what was paid in 2006 and 2007. This was disputed by the IPU which claimed that its members would be hit with an unsustainable 34 per cent cut.
The IPU had sought the appointment of a third-party mediator and an independent analysis of the impact of the measures in a bid to resolve the dispute but this was rejected by Ms Harney.
IPU president Liz Hoctor said patients had borne the brunt of the “total failure of the HSE contingency plans over the past 11 days”.
“The idea that the Air Corps would be drafted in to support the HSE in rural Ireland or that a firm of solicitors paid for out of taxpayers’ money would be threatening legal action against pharmacists testifies to the failure of the contingency plan,” she said.
Ms Hoctor said she acknowledged the commitment by the Minister to carry out a review of the fee cuts before June 30th next.
“If pharmacists are to have confidence in this review, it is essential that there is scope for meaningful engagement by the union in that review and that its views are fully taken into account and reflected in the outcome of the review.” She said the union would be writing to Ms Harney setting out its proposals on how the future relationship between the parties should be conducted.
“The Minister has to recognise that, irrespective of what legislation she is acting under, she cannot hope to bring about real and lasting change without the involvement and participation of all parties.”
A spokesman for the Minister for Health said Ms Harney welcomed the IPU decision to urge members to resume normal services. “She looks forward to an early resumption of full pharmacy services for patients and the public,” he said.
A HSE spokeswoman said the decision by the union to resume normal services was very welcome and it was important that patient safety was put to the fore in any decision made.
Earlier yesterday, before the IPU announcement was made, the HSE said it had received requests from over 50 pharmacies, which had terminated their community pharmacy contractor agreement, to resume the agreement.
The risks posed by the dispute were highlighted by one Dublin woman who told yesterday how a pharmacist had mistakenly given her nine times the prescribed medication. She told RTÉ Radio’s News At One that her regular pharmacist was closed due to the dispute so she had to attend another one to receive her medication.
