Mr. Darragh O'Loughlin:

There has not been engagement with the IMO as it is not up to it to decide what should happen. However, I have had a conversation with the CEO of the Irish College of General Practitioners, ICGP, who understands exactly what we are saying about the expansion of the role of the pharmacist. We are at pains to point out that we are not talking about usurping the role of doctors or elbowing them out of their traditional role. We are saying that if these were private patients, they would have immediate access to these medicines.

In terms of medicine use reviews and the other expanded services, the experience in other jurisdictions has been that whatever initial trepidation there might have been, when the services are rolled out, doctors and physicians see the benefits. As Senator John Crown pointed out, doctors, physicians and pharmacists work in collaboration and co-operation in the interest of patients. The line between who does what may shift from time to time, but ultimately physicians make the diagnosis and identify the care plan appropriate for the patient. Pharmacists will make decisions within that care plan to achieve the best outcomes for patients.