Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 12:

In page 25, line 33, after “decision” to insert the following:“and to prescribers, pharmacists, the Irish Pharmaceutical Union and the Irish Medical Organisation”.

I do not expect the Minister, the HSE or anyone else to baby-sit pharmacists, medical practitioners or others who are commercial entities and highly qualified professionals. Those who are obliged to keep themselves informed need to have the information as much as the Minister and the HSE. The manufacturer of a medicine is informed of the removal of any medicine from the medical reimbursement scheme. However, the prescribers, pharmacists and the IPU are not informed. Pharmacies and GP surgeries need to be run effectively and I would expect them to be informed when a particular medicine or brand is removed from the reimbursement list. If a pharmacy is unaware that a medicine has been removed from it, it may be left with unused stock. A centralised electronic system to inform the IPU, pharmacists and GPs would be preferable, nor would it be onerous. It would make sense in order that pharmacists and others would not continue to dispense medicines for which the patient would not be reimbursed. I will not go into the trenches over this. There may be practical reasons the Minister of State cannot accept the amendments, but I would like to hear why they are not acceptable.

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