Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response to me. I welcome the fact that both bodies are meeting today, namely, the Department of Health and the IPU. Hopefully, we will see some progress in that regard. It is estimated that on average there are 70 million patient-care interactions per annum with community pharmacies. This just shows how important they are within our communities. As the Minister of State outlined in his contribution, they are open seven days a week. At a time when it is difficult to get access to a GP, more and more people are turning to the pharmacist as a viable alternative, which I very much welcome. I also welcome the fact that negotiations are ongoing between the pharmacy unions and the Department of Health on expanding the role of the pharmacist vis-à-visa minor ailments scheme and the increased accessibility of contraceptives for women. All those developments are welcome. We are lucky to have the pharmacies in our communities. It is important that we look after them and that they are viable because they provide an excellent service to the community.