Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Devins, to the House. It has now become a matter of urgency that talks are arranged between the Health Service Executive and representatives of pharmacists who are in dispute over the proposed reduction in the amount paid to pharmacists for drugs they buy from wholesalers and dispense to patients under the State drugs scheme. Neither the Minister of State nor the senior Minister can stand idly by while 3,000 methadone patients are directly affected this week; other vulnerable groups are also at risk.

This problem did not arise without warning. I raised it last week in the Dáil and tabled it for the Adjournment debate twice without succeeding. I also raised it on the Order of Business, as did other Members. The Government and the HSE were well aware that this action would happen, and all Members received letters and representations from community pharmacists. The main point made to us was that there were no meaningful negotiations with pharmacists on this issue.

We now see that the most vulnerable people are directly threatened in terms of their access to services. In particular, methadone patients who need continuity in accessing their methadone must now go to a different centre. There is a real concern that medical card patients in general are at risk if this issue is not resolved.

I stress that there are means of resolving this issue if some kind of independent talks can take place. Talks must take place, whether through the so-called Shipsey process or under the national implementation body, as recommended by the IPU. Disputes are resolved through talks. We saw last weekend that as soon as people sit down together, they can resolve their differences but we cannot leave this issue hanging in the air without resolution.

We need to bring together manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacists and the HSE because this process is complicated. Essentially, community pharmacists are telling us they will lose money by dispensing drugs. That is the root of the problem but it is the patients at the coalface who are suffering. We need a resolution to this issue and I hope we will hear tonight that talks will be set up and that an independent process will be put in place immediately.

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