HSE announces
alternative arrangements for patients
PHARMACIES across Inishowen will close tomorrow as
the dispute over the dispensing of drugs under a host
of State schemes begins to escalate.
Already hundreds of pharmacies across the country
including almost all of the pharmacies in Donegal
have indicated that they will withdraw from
providing these services from August 1st as a result
of a Government decision to cut their fees.
And pharmacists will meet in Dublin tomorrow to plan
their next move after the government announced on
Sunday that it plans to set-up a number of HSE-operated
pharmacies in an effort to ensure that everyone who
requires medicines under the State drugs schemes can
continue to access them.
A number of those HSE-operated pharmacies will be
established in Donegal including one in Inishowen at
Carndonagh Community Hospital. The HSE say that
people may have to travel further than normal to
have their prescription filled.
Local pharmacists have insisted however that the HSE
plans are inadequate.
“You can’t just put one HSE-pharmacy in Carndonagh
to replace ten pharmacies that cover all of
Inishowen from Newtowncunningham to Malin Head and
expect it to work,” Liam Grimley of the Healthwise
Pharmacies said yesterday.
The local pharmacist suggested that the move was
just a tactic to try to “bully” the pharmacists into
backing down.
He also said he was aware that the HSE has also
invited pharmacies across the border to dispense
medicines to HSE clients but suggested that their
northern counterparts had indicated to them that
they don’t want to get involved.
“It is really amazing to think that before Christmas
we were being urged to be patriotic and shop on this
side of the border and then the HSE would do this.
There are hundreds of jobs at risk here and it’s
unbelievable if they think this is the best way to
resolve this, it makes no sense whatsoever.”
Mr Grimley said that tomorrow’s meeting would help
Pharmacists decide on their strategy but said that
it was already clear that Pharmacists would have to
stand together.
“As usual rural counties suffer the worst when
cutbacks like these are being made, but 95% of the
pharmacists in Donegal have withdrawn from the
scheme and thankfully our customers are very
understanding of the situation we have been placed
in.”
Meanwhile with local pharmacists due to travel to
Dublin tomorrow to attend an emergency EGM,
pharmacists across Inishowen will remain shut.
Customers should be aware that Duffy’s Chemists, New
Road, Buncrana will be open from 5pm to 7pm to fill
emergency scripts only.
(Inishowen Independent) |
