Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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961. To ask the Minister for Health when persons who had to pay prescription charges to receive their medication will be refunded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33721/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Persons suffering from prescribed conditions can get free drugs, medicines and medical and surgical appliances for the treatment of that condition under the Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme. Medical card holders are required to pay prescription charges. Prescription charges are not payable in respect of items supplied under the Long Term Illness Scheme.

In the case of persons who have both the medical card and an LTI book, it was Health Service Executive (HSE) policy that they should use their medical card to access medicines. The main reason for this was that when a retail mark-up of 20% was payable to pharmacists for items supplied under the LTI Scheme it cost the HSE considerably more to supply medicines under the LTI Scheme than under the GMS Scheme.

Following a review of the rates of fees payable to health professionals (under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act, 2009) the elimination of the retail mark-up was announced on the 2nd of July 2013. As a result, the HSE revised its policy on this matter and persons who have both a medical card and LTI can now access medication for their qualifying long term illness condition(s) under the LTI Scheme.

The HSE is actively in the process of identifying any person who had eligibility under the Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme and who, while having concurrent eligibility under the Medical Card Scheme, paid prescription charges prior to the 1st December 2013 for drugs, medicines, medical and surgical appliances related to their qualifying long term illness(es) dispensed under the GMS Scheme, by a registered pharmacist.

The HSE is collating the details regarding the numbers of people affected and how much they will be refunded. It is anticipated that the HSE will be in a position to make refunds to the relevant individuals in the coming months.