Sir, – Paul Cullen rightly highlights concerns at the prescription charge of €2.50 for medical card holders ("GPs call for review of prescription charges", Home News, May 6th).
However the charge for those of us who pay €144 per month under the drugs payment scheme should also be highlighted.
Currently one of the major pharmacy chains charges us a fee of €7 per item of prescription per month and another charges €5 per item.
Both say they cannot supply more than one month’s prescription at a time, thereby preventing customers from saving on the monthly prescription fee.
The lesson for all customers is to ask for details of the underlying charge per item, both product and prescription fee, even though the total is capped at €144 per month.
By doing so, customers may be able to reduce the cost of their drugs to less than €144 per month, especially if they switch to doctor-approved generics. – Yours, etc,
DAVID McCABE,
Waltham Terrace,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.