INISHOWEN'S 12
pharmacies are working as normal after the
national chemists' union withdrew a threat to
boycott the medical card schemes at the final hour.
There was a last-ditch breakthrough in talks with
the HSE on Wednesday evening seeing off fears that
medical cards holders, people on long-term illness
drugs and those on the drugs refund scheme would
have to pay full market price for their drugs from
May 1.
Patients in the peninsula were taking Buncrana
pharmacist Liam Grimley's advice and were asking for
enough medication to cover them for a couple of
weeks. Local pharmacies were inundated during the
week as they dealt with a big influx of repeat
prescriptions from worried patients.
Recently, the HSE reduced the price it paid to
pharmacists for drugs in an effort to save money.
The two sides remain in dispute but they did manage
to reach a deal that would see pharmacists get paid
the current price for fridge medicines including
insulin as well as controlled drugs such as
morphine.
During a visit to Buncrana last Friday, Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern hinted that his Government was trying
to do a deal with the pharmacists. That deal was
made late on Wednesday but it would appear the
entrenched dispute is still far from over. |
