THE HEALTH Service Executive (HSE) has told pharmacists planning to withdraw from the State community drug schemes in a row over fees that they could face delays in the future in having applications processed to resume dispensing drugs and medicines to patients covered by these arrangements.
The HSE asked pharmacists planning to terminate their agreement to operate the State schemes from this weekend to reconsider their decision.
In a letter to pharmacists yesterday, HSE national director for primary community and continuing care, Laverne McGuinness said they were central to the health service and provided crucial services to the public.
However, she maintained that if pharmacists did withdraw from operating the State drug schemes, they could face “a time delay” in processing applications to enter into another community pharmacy contractor agreement.
“Our administrative resources are limited and it is impossible at this time to predict the number of applications that may be received after August 1st, 2009,” she said.
There remained disagreement last night between the HSE and the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), which represents community pharmacists, on the numbers that are expected to withdraw from the State drug schemes from this weekend in protest at cuts in fees and payments of €133 million introduced by the Government.
The HSE said last night that a further 29 pharmacists had yesterday withdrawn notices they had previously issued to terminate their agreements for operating the State schemes. It said that as of last night, 876 pharmacies had said that they would continue to operate the schemes.
However, the IPU said that the credibility of the HSE list had been totally undermined. A spokesman said that the IPU had no confidence that the revised HSE figures would be any more accurate.
In her letter, Ms McGuinness acknowledged that there had been “a small number of inaccuracies” in the list of pharmacies that the HSE earlier this week said would be continuing to dispense drugs and medicines under the schemes.
She said that in about 30 cases, the HSE had included the names of pharmacies that had provided valid 30-day notices of their intention to withdraw from operating the community drug schemes.
“We revised our internet list that day to reflect any anomalies that were brought to our attention. That list is being updated on a daily basis,” she said.
In her letter, Ms McGuinness also appeared to take issue with suggestions made by pharmacists that savings sought by the Government on the drugs bill could be achieved through a greater emphasis on switching to less expensive generic drugs.
She said that while the HSE recognised the scope for further cost reductions for both generic and proprietary medicines and that it would be pursuing these further in the future, she maintained that recent agreements with the pharmaceutical industry had “delivered far more in reduced prices for proprietary medicines than an initiative on generics alone could have delivered”.
Both sides in the dispute will be watching carefully for the outcome to an application expected to be made in the High Court today by a group of pharmacies for an injunction to prevent the cuts in fees from going ahead.
A full hearing of a legal challenge to the cuts has been listed by the High Court for hearing in November.
