Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, for responding to this matter. I congratulate her on her promotion. I am pleased to have the opportunity to raise in the House the need to re-examine the current system of issuing prescriptions in light of what I believe are inefficiencies and inequities created by requiring GPs to reissue all prescriptions from hospital consultants, in particular in the area of mental health services for medical card holders.

As the Minister of State will no doubt be aware, the roll out of primary care centres was discussed at the Committee of Public Accounts in great detail this morning. I believe wholeheartedly, as does the Government, in the rationale behind the move to primary care centres and the need to ensure we can treat as many patients as possible within their own communities, in an effective and streamlined manner.

The programme for Government commits to an ambitious programme of reform in this area, one which is essential to the delivery of the best possible standard of health care in this country. The progress made last year by the special delivery unit shows that advances can be made even at a time when the health service has to face severe financial cutbacks. To do this, it is essential that all resources are utilised in the most effective manner possible. It is in this wider context that I wish to raise the need to re-examine the way in which prescriptions are issued to medical card holders.

I have been contacted by many constituents frustrated by the system currently in place, where families attending hospital or psychiatric services have to revisit their GP in order to get their prescription re-written as a GMS order to access their entitlement to receive it for free. This is most pressingly a problem in the case of prescriptions. Mental health prescriptions are obviously prescribed for very good reason, and often require individuals to take them consistently over a prolonged period. Depending on the circumstances, prescriptions for these long-term medications are sometimes issued on a weekly basis, requiring the patient to visit the GP for a GMS order every time a prescription is required.

Some modern health medications for treating conditions such as autism can cost up to €300 per month. If parents are not in a position to see their GP, as I understand was a concern for some families over the Christmas period, they may not be able to afford the cost of the prescription. That has real consequences for the children and families concerned, and pharmacists have little or no discretion in issuing such prescriptions without a separate GMS order. The system appears to be extremely bureaucratic. I would appreciate if the Minister could outline the rationale behind having GMS orders issued in this way, given that it appears to result in a duplication of resources. Patients see a specialist in a particular field, who prescribes the medication they feel is most suitable. They then have to revisit their GP in order to obtain a GMS order for the prescription. This same process takes place when a prescription is issued by a hospital. That is causing widespread waste of time and inefficiencies and is wasting the time of doctors at a time when the health service is clogged up. I am informed that while hospitals can use a special form to issue a prescription for up to seven days, in practice this is often not used. It is not the most practical measure. The current system can result in additional, unnecessary visits to GPs. I look forward to engaging with the Minister on the matter.

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