Dispute causing delays in patients obtaining much-needed medicines

Patients throughout Meath faced delays over the past week to get their medicines as pharmacists across the country continued their dispute with the HSE. Many of Meath's pharmacies withdrew from State schemes from 1st August to protest against Government cuts that they say will leave pharmacists's revenue down by an average of 34 per cent. As well as withdrawing from State schemes, many pharmacies also closed their doors last week, only opening for a couple of hours each day to facilitate their customers. On Monday, the High Court extended an injunction against 35 pharmacies in the Hickey and Bradley groups, preventing them from withdrawing their services under the State Drugs Scheme without the required 30 days' notice but these pharmacies have re-opened. There are four Hickeys pharmacies in Navan and it is expected that the threat of further court action against pharmacies that have not given the required notice could see more pharmacies open for business as usual in the coming days. On Monday afternoon, the HSE said that 50 pharmacies around the country who had given valid notice to terminate their Community Pharmacy Contractor Agreement with the HSE had requested to recommence providing services under the State Drug Schemes. Orla McGrane of McGrane's Pharmacy in Trim said that all of the chemists in Trim had been closed last week but had opened from 4pm to 6pm to facilitate their customers, though they were not participating in the State Drugs Scheme. On Monday, the pharmacies in Trim opened from 2pm and Ms McGrane said they were awaiting the outcome of a meeting last night (Tuesday) to see what would happen next. She said they had opened for a couple of hours each day as they did not want to see their patients go without drugs. She added that, for two or three days, she was supplying customers out of her own pocket. A Dunshaughlin father whose eight-year-old son had been without medication for three days last Friday said it was impossible to get medicines in Dunshaughlin as pharmacies there were closed. He went to Boots in Ashbourne who were still participating, but they did not have the necessary drugs. "Boots in Ashbourne said they would get the medicine for me, but I am not sure when that will be. My son has ADHD and has been without any medication for three days now and we can see the affects on him," he said, speaking last Friday. Grace O'Connor of O'Connor's Pharmacy in Blackcastle, Navan, said that patients in Navan were facing delays in getting their medications last week as very few chemists in the town were dispensing. Ms O'Connor said she is still looking after her patients out of her own pocket and the main priority is they do not want patients to suffer. She said: "I can show anyone audited figures which show that what the HSE are proposing will mean a 34 per cent cut for me and I am already down 18 per cent on cosmetics because of the recession," she said. "We had no other choice but to take this action. The last people we want to suffer is the patients. It is so horrible for all of us. All we want to do is to get into talks with the HSE. We will take a cut, but it has to be proportionate," she said. Following the High Court's extention of the injunction against pharmacies in the Hickey and Bradley Pharmacy groups, the HSE said in a statement that it would be contacting pharmacies that may be breaching their Community Pharmacy Contractor Agreements requesting that they honour the agreement in full and that failure to comply may require the HSE to seek a remedy through the courts. They also said that reports from across the country suggested that people are having less difficulty getting their medicines. Deputy Shane McEntee said he had received many phone calls and emails from customers and pharmacists over the past week who are worried about the situation and he is calling on the Taoiseach to get involved and appoint a mediator to allow both sides to sit down and resolve the problem.