Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I bid the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, good morning. The minor ailment scheme is an internationally recognised extended pharmacy service which allows pharmacists to improve public health access, shape further future services and broaden pharmacy roles to deliver patient care and improve health outcomes. At present, private patients who want to access non-prescriptive medicines for ailments such as hay fever, migraines or skin conditions consult local pharmacists on the best options for them and pay for the over-the-counter medications. However, medical card patients with the same ailment can only access the same medication if they visit their general practitioner, GP and get a prescription. If the Minister were to introduce a minor ailment scheme, public patients would no longer have to make GP appointments, which would save time for both GPs and patients.

Pharmacy-based minor ailment schemes have been introduced throughout the UK to reduce the burden of minor ailments on high-cost settings, including general practices and emergency departments. Some 24 million consultations take place in Irish general practice each year and more than 1 million consultations in out-of-hours co-operatives. With Irish GPs receiving €551 million from the HSE in 2017, this implies a cost €22.98 per consultation. Independent analysis commissioned by the Irish Pharmacy Union, IPU, estimated that the full implementation of a comprehensive minor ailment scheme would save almost 1 million GP consultations per year and free up approximately €22 million worth of valuable GP capacity in an overloaded GP service, the equivalent of almost 100 full-time GPs. I have pointed out previously that more than half a million of the population live within 1 km of a pharmacy and 85% live within 5 km of one. Therefore, why the delay in introducing such a scheme?.

In 2006, the IPU made a submission to the Department of Health and Children on a pharmacy-based minor ailment scheme. In January 2009, the IPU proposed the introduction of a pharmacy-based minor ailment scheme at a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children. In 2015, the IPU centred its prebudget submission on a proposal to introduce a minor ailment scheme. In April 2016, the then Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, announced the introduction of a pharmacy based minor ailment pilot scheme at the IPU’s conference. In July 2016, a pilot scheme was commenced and ran at 19 pharmacies in four towns, namely, Kells, Roscommon, Macroom and Edenderry and it ran for three months. In May 2019, the then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, addressed the IPU members at the IPU conference and declared we know the minor ailment scheme works. He stated I am fed up hearing about evaluating the minor ailment scheme; we know it works. On 2 May 20221, in a video address by the IPU members the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, stated he also wished to emphasise the important role community pharmacists play in the wider health service in the delivery of holistic patient care. He also stated he was committed to further developing that role in the context of health service reform. He further stated he had listened to and met with the IPU both in opposition and since he was appointed Minister for Health and that he firmly believed that there is much merit in the initiatives it was seeking to progress as the minor ailment scheme.Often in this House we do a lot of talking and very little doing. This scheme works and will support the existing delivery of healthcare to our citizens.