Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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I thank Mr. O'Loughlin for his comprehensive presentation. On the issue of working with patients, the appendix refers to a new medicines service that would involve follow-up for patients who are prescribed new medicines. Is such a services up and running and, if so, how well is it operating and how can it be improved? What is being done to proactively promote this type of change?

On the 12 drugs that could be made available without prescription, will the changes required be introduced shortly or must we wait on regulatory change to take place before this proposal can be implemented?

What progress has been made on dispensing generic drugs? Ireland has traditionally had one of the lowest rates of generic drug use in the European Union. Is progress being made in increasing the rate towards the European average?

Has progress been made in that area to date and what remains to be done?

There was a case in which a person went to seven GPs and got a prescription from each, followed which he had his prescription filled by seven pharmacies. Under the system that operates in Denmark, patient medication cards, which look similar to Visa cards, are used. One goes to one's GP but one does not get a prescription on paper; instead, the GP puts the prescription on the card and gives the card back to the patient, who can then use the card to get his or her prescription. The system is about carefully monitoring what drugs people are on. Does the Irish Pharmacy Union consider it has a part to play in promoting that idea in order to give protection to the pharmacist on the one hand, and to provide protection to the card holder on the other? It would help to ensure a patient is not getting one lot of drugs from one pharmacy and another lot from another without each knowing what the other has given out. Have the witnesses discussed with the Department how we can work towards rolling out that system?