Kate O'Connell (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Following on from the comments of Deputy O'Reilly, I note Mr. Conlon's comments on the expansion of the role of pharmacists throughout the health service but we are talking about contraception here today. While the idea of lengthening the prescription time is very welcome, I have never understood, as a pharmacist, why a prescription would not be for a year, especially where the long-term use of oral contraceptives is concerned. There obviously would be a saving for the patient in terms of both money and time.

What is the medical logic for not expanding the role of the pharmacists right now in the provision of oral contraceptive pills, especially in light of the success of the morning-after pill? The morning-after pill is a far more potent compound than standard oral contraception.

While I am largely out of doing community pharmacy work personally, in recent years there has been the advent of the online prescription in that one has an interface with a doctor who is often in another jurisdiction with no patient contact and no blood pressure monitoring. The blood pressure monitoring is the duty of the community pharmacist at the point of dispensing and the prescription comes in online. To my mind, that is moving away from immediate interaction with the patient and all the benefits that brings at doctor level and pharmacy level. It does not seem logical that on the one hand we say it is fine to go online, meet a doctor and get a prescription but on the other hand we say it is not fine to go into an experienced community pharmacist who has been dealing with issues such as this for many years, is well able to take blood pressure, is well able to have a chat with someone and has spent extensive time studying contraceptives at undergraduate and postgraduate level. I cannot understand why it is seen as better for the patient to interact with a doctor online rather than with a community pharmacist in person as there is generally one on every street in Ireland. Can Mr. Conlon expand on the logic behind that?