Kate O'Connell (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am opposed to the idea that oral contraceptives from pharmacies would be the only measure we take. There is easier access in many other countries. There are now online doctor services, which is a total game changer. It is more advantageous for a patient's outcomes to interface with his or her experienced community pharmacy rather than interacting with a doctor online. The horse has bolted in respect of the way we dispense medicine and the way consultations happen. There should be a one-to-one consultation with a pharmacist. I do not understand why the consultation cannot involve a referral. If a woman who has been on the contraceptive pill for 18 months presents at a pharmacy and seeks a five-year or long-acting solution, why is a referral not part of the process? Community pharmacists are well used to such scenarios. An average of 90% of our work is referring people to doctors to be fixed up. I fail to understand why it cannot be part of the solution. I cannot understand the resistance to it, apart from the fact that there may to some extent be turf wars, like in the case of vaccines back in the day.