The Health Service Executive (HSE) is expected ask the High Court today to make an order compelling pharmacies to continue to provide "critical" medicines and other services under the Community Pharmacy Contractor (CPC) agreement for several more weeks.
It is taking the new High Court action because it claims it needs more time to put contingency plans into action.
Pharmacists and the HSE have been engaged in a bitter row over reimbursement for the distribution of drugs. Under a new system introduced in March, the HSE has reduced the margin paid to pharmaceutical wholesalers from 17 per cent to 8 per cent in a bid to save €100 million. As it has no direct relationship with wholesalers, to achieve its aim the HSE has reduced the reimbursement it pays to pharmacists for drugs and medicines.
The new pricing arrangements were introduced at the beginning of March, but pharmacists have only begun receiving payments for that month last week.
Pharmacists last week called on the HSE to "stop wasting taxpayers' money" on court actions against those threatening to stop distributing medicines. The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) also said the HSE was adopting a confrontational approach and was attempting to intimidate pharmacists
THe HSE met pharmacists yesterday for talks in a bid to end the ongoing dispute. The IPU described the meeting as constructive and said there would be further contact between the sides over the next 24 hours.