Irish Pharmacy hits crisis.

[Fleegle]

Hey all who follow the Irish forum.
Here's the latest I have from Liz Hoctor (IPU President) re Mary Harney's (Minister for Health and Children) bodyswerve from the High Court..Mary invented a new law, as politicians appear to be able to do....

Pharmacists condemn Minister for undermining pharmacy services and jobs



Thursday, 18 June 2009 Warning that up to 5,000 pharmacy jobs could be lost

18th June 2009: Front line health services will be seriously damaged by the Minister for Health and Children’s decision to cut payments to pharmacists for providing medicines and advice to patients on the community drugs schemes by 36 per cent, according to the Irish Pharmacy Union [IPU], the representative body for 1,900 community pharmacists.
IPU President, Ms Liz Hoctor, stated; “These cuts announced today amount to a 36 per cent reduction in the current level of payments to pharmacists. These massive cuts are utterly disproportionate and totally unsustainable. These cuts compromise patient services and up to 5,000 jobs in pharmacies could be lost as a direct result of this Government decision.
“Although pharmacists are not responsible for rising health costs and have always provided value for money, we had indicated to Government that we were willing to accept a cut equivalent to 8 per cent of our fees in the national interest. This was in line with cuts being proposed in other parts of the health service.”
Ms Hoctor described the small increase in the fees for dispensing medicines and providing advice to medical card patients as a fig leaf – “it’s a clumsy attempt to mask the true extent of the cuts”, which amount to 36 per cent of pharmacists’ payments from the HSE. She also said the cuts will wipe out pharmacists’ margins and their capacity to deliver and sustain services through the negotiation of trading terms. The dispensing fee per item now being proposed is, on average, 33 per cent lower than the rate put forward by the Minister’s own Independent Body late last year. “No amount of spin or distortion of fact will hide the devastating reality of these cuts, which is an overall cut of 36 per cent for delivering the State’s community drugs schemes.”
Ms Hoctor continued: “This Minister seems determined to destroy one of the few parts of the health service that has managed to continue to deliver effective patient care in an otherwise very dysfunctional health service. The irrational nature of this decision again highlights the lack of leadership and vision in either the Department of Health and Children or the Health Service Executive and their scant regard for patient services.
Ms Hoctor said that “The Minister for Health and Children has used Section 9 of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 in a vindictive fashion to circumvent a High Court Judgment, which found that the HSE had acted unlawfully by cutting pharmacists’ payments in March 2008.” Ms Hoctor said “Section 9 of the Act should be repealed at the earliest opportunity if it is to be used in this cynical fashion”.
The Union will be communicating with its members on the matter and will also be seeking an urgent meeting with the Minister.


Please post your views immediately, and attend meetings of IPU if possible. This is totally unacceptable. Please lend your support.

Fleegle

[lamzee]

Thanks Fleeg :-)

[Twinkle]

cheers Fleeg - and "bloody hell !!!"

[Rafael]

absolute madness!

[Twinkle]

well today.....

RTÉ News: 958 pharmacists to withdraw from drugs scheme


958 pharmacists to withdraw from drugs scheme
Wednesday, 1 July 2009 17:53

958 of the country's 1,500 pharmacists have written to the Minister for Health giving 30 days notice of their intention to withdraw from the Community Drugs Scheme.

Today a 34% cut in payments to pharmacists for providing medicines and advice to patients in the community drugs scheme came into effect.

The Irish Pharmacy Union says the cuts could lead to the loss of up to 5,000 jobs in pharmacies and will undermine patient services.

It has called for urgent talks with Minister for Health Mary Harney.

[Fleegle]

Yes, sadly it has come to this. If two-thirds of Ireland's 1500 pharmacies (not 'pharmacists'..thanks to RTE for another inaccurate report) withdraw from the current drug schemes in 30 days, the consequences can only be catastrophic. Other health professions have had a cut of 8% imposed on them. Pharmacists would probably have accepted that, given the current economic climate. But no..Mary hits us for 34% and expects us to accept it....What planet is she on ????

Here's the latest..

1,000 pharmacists give notice to the HSE of their withdrawal from drug schemes Wednesday, 01 July 2009 Irish Pharmacy Union calls on the Minister for Health and Children to enter talks to avoid a medicines crisis
Wednesday, 1 July 2009: The Irish Pharmacy Union has been informed by 1,000 individual pharmacists that they have written to the Health Service Executive (HSE) giving 30 days notice of their intention to discontinue providing services on the community drugs schemes.
The means that to date effectively two-thirds of all pharmacies across the country will cease dispensing medicines on behalf of the HSE under the Medical Card Scheme and the Drugs Payments Scheme effective from 1 August next. Many other pharmacists are also reviewing their position. The pharmacies involved are from all parts of the country, but in particular from Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Roscommon, Galway and Kerry. The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), the representative body for community pharmacists in Ireland, is today calling on the Minister for Health and Children to enter talks with its members as soon as possible to avoid a medicines crisis.
Liz Hoctor, President of the Irish Pharmacy Union said “I have no doubt that each pharmacist did not take this decision lightly. However, the Minister for Health and Children has dropped a bombshell on the pharmacists by imposing a 34 per cent cut in payments for providing medicines and advice to patients under the community drugs schemes. This cut is excessive and unsustainable. These cuts will damage pharmacy services, patient care and lead to up to 5,000 job losses.
Ms Hoctor also said “Pharmacists are calling on the Minister for Health and Children to engage with us immediately on how savings can be achieved without having a catastrophic impact on pharmacy services, patient care and employment. We recognise the seriousness of the country’s economic situation and back in March made proposals to the Minister which would save the State €83m. Our proposals included enabling pharmacists to offer patients the choice of a cheaper generic medicine where it is safe to do so and the acceptance of an 8 per cent cut in pharmacy fees which is in line with cuts imposed on all other healthcare professionals. However, our proposals, which are practical and reasonable, were ignored by the Minister and instead a 34 per cent cut in payments was announced.
Ms Hoctor continued “Ireland has one of the most liberal pharmacy markets in Europe. The Minister seems determined to push small independent pharmacies out of business and to hand the community pharmacy sector on a plate to a small number of large international players. It would be a great shame to decimate a sector that has over the years provided a personal and professional service that is highly valued by patients.


Here she is again..decide for yourselves..I give you Ireland's MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND CHILDREN, MARY HARNEY..



Fleeg.

[Twinkle]

well RTÉ's not known for its accuracy
Thanks Fleeg - watching with interest (or schadenfreude for Ms Harney... one or the other)

[Rafael]

Keep us updated guys.....
my goodness! 34% cun in funding and they expected pharmacies/pharmacists to accept that?

so what's going on now? any negotiation to find a way around it or the strike is going forward?

where do you guys stand, as locums, re the whole issue, if may i ask?
are the multiples joining in? or do you smell they propose to the gov to dispense all scripts across the country?

[Twinkle]

I'm not practicing at the moment so I'm watching with interest... looks like I picked the wrong year to re-register though

From a public service point of view, there's going to be a lot of people stuck if (when) this goes ahead as certainly in the more rural areas and small towns there are no large multiples, unlike in the UK anyway.
Add to that the elderly who don't have access to transport (don't drive and again, in the more rural areas there simply is no public transport) and the implications are quite horrific.

[Fleegle]

Exactly. If community pharmacies in rural areas are forced to close, the repercussions will be enormous as thousands of Irish citizens will be denied any reasonable access to a dispensing pharmacy. Full Stop.

There are currently 1,521 contracts to supply medicines under government schemes held in Ireland. It appears upwards of 100 of these are held by Boots and Unicare, who are not yet party, it would appear, to withdrawal from the schemes. No surprise there really. Some other smaller chains exist who are also resisting.

In a nutshell, 958 of 1,521, or 63% of Irish pharmacy contractors have as of today, given 30 days notice of withdrawal from the government schemes, (roughly equivalent to NHS provision of services), with more to follow suit over the next few days.

This is not a strike. All pharmacies will continue trading. Unfortunately, however all patients will be required to pay the full cost of their medications on a private basis, and reclaim their costs, if appropriate, presumably through the Health Service Executive. This must not happen, as patients cannot be expected to bear that level of expense on a monthly basis.

Mary Harney as Minister for Health and Children can resolve this potential crisis.

I hope she sleeps well tonight....

Fleeg.