IPU President, Liz Hoctor, said "It is ironic that when prescription charges are being phased out in other jurisdictions, Ireland is introducing them.  Pharmacists understand the need to tackle medicines wastage, however, there are better ways to deal with this issue, which the Union has been advocating for years. These alternative proposals
would not place patients' health at risk."

Calling on the Minister for Health and Children to discuss the concerns around the implementation of prescription charges with key stakeholders, Ms Hoctor asked: "Has consideration been given to what happens when a patient is unable to pay these charges? What happens when a patient with a serious health condition refuses to pay these charges, but clearly needs their medication?  Will certain patients be exempt from the charges? Who is going to collect these charges and what is the cost of collecting them."

The IPU had proposed alternative measures to reduce the overuse and wastage of medicines. The proposals, which are already in place in other jurisdictions, include the introduction of Medicines Use Reviews to make sure patients were getting the full benefit from the medicines and to ensure patients were taking only those medicines which were clearly necessary for their treatment. 

Responding to an announcement in the budget that the Government planned to enter into an agreement with the pharmaceutical manufacturers and also introduce a system of referencing pricing, Ms Hoctor said that in order to ensure continuity in the supply of medicines, the implementation of all changes must be discussed and agreed with the
Irish Pharmacy Union. 

In relation to the proposal to impose further reductions on the fees paid to health professionals, Ms Hoctor said: "Pharmacists have already suffered a massive and disproportionate 34% cut in payments from the State this year. These cuts are already damaging patient services and pharmacists cannot withstand further cuts."