MINISTER FOR Health Mary Harney has signalled that some types of drugs could be removed from the scope of the medical card scheme as part of new reforms under consideration.
Ms Harney also indicated that certain forms of medication could be excluded from the drug payment scheme, which reimburses private patients for the cost of drugs above a particular threshold.
Speaking yesterday at the National Pharmacy Summit 2008 - a conference organised by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland - Ms Harney said the cost of medication and its appropriateness "was a huge issue for all of us" .
She said the cost of the general medical service (GMS) scheme now constituted 18 per cent of the public health budget. "Next year the cost will rise by 14 per cent, and one of the drivers of that is the cost of medication."
She said she had met yesterday with Dr Michael Barry, chairman of the group appointed to examine ways of making savings on drugs prescribed by GPs under the medical card scheme.
"Obviously we want appropriate prescribing, there is no doubt about that; medication is expensive and we want to ensure that it is prescribed in an appropriate fashion," she said.
"Clearly, protocols are very important in relation to when and how medication is prescribed."
But Ms Harney said there were also issues regarding medication that was currently available free of charge in Ireland that might not necessarily be appropriate in current circumstances.
She said this was "not just for cost reasons and that it may well be that they are not essential medicines, and like other countries, I think we have to examine whether or not they should remain in the GMS or whether the State should reimburse the cost of certain things".
She said this would be a matter for professionals to advise her on.
The Minister also said that next year would be really challenging and very difficult for the health service given the budgetary constraints.
She said that she had not yet received the Health Service Executive's plan on how it would spend its budget.
However, she said that on the hospital side she hoped that "much of the services can be provided by moving to day cases and moving to five-day cover rather than seven-day wards".
Speaking to reporters, Ms Harney again said that she would not speculate about her position in Government until after the meeting of Progressive Democrats members on Saturday to decide the party's future.
Ms Harney also yesterday launched a campaign to advise motorists of the dangers of driving while taking some types of medication.
