Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive response. I am very heartened by it. It would appear that the Department of Health's door is certainly open for discussion as to how best we can utilise our community of pharmacists, with a view to alleviating pressure on our GPs and accident and emergency departments. I am heartened by that. We can take a lead from best international practice, as to the different ailments that could be treated by the community pharmacist. I came across some information recently with regard to prescriptions. Young women aged 17 to 25 years of age had to go to their GP to get a prescription in order to get certain contraceptive pills. The WHO has suggested it can see no reason why they could not go directly to their pharmacist for that service. That is the way it is in the UK, the US, New Zealand, Canada and many other countries. It is the kind of thinking I wish to see incorporated here in order that we could alleviate the pressure on some young woman having to go to a GP, make an appointment, see the GP, get the prescription and then come back to the pharmacist. We are looking for imaginative and creative thinking as to how we can alleviate that pressure. This is just one example.