Galway pharmacists have reacted angrily to last week’s statement by the HSE that it made “no apologies” for the reduction in reimbursement fees paid to them.

At a meeting held in the Clayton Hotel on Sunday night, over 150 of Galway’s pharmacists met local representatives to discuss the HSE’s latest cost-cutting measure.

Pharmacist Adrian Mullins in his pharmacy in Salthill.

Speaking to the Galway Independent yesterday, Minister Eamon Ó Cuív said he felt there was a twin aim to the measures.

“There is a saving of €100 million to be made on drugs. Taxpayers’ money is finite and that money must go to the best effect. We’re paying more for drugs than ever before, and people can get any drug they want on the system.

“However, we must make that adjustment without making smaller community pharmacies unviable, the saving should be made where it doesn’t interfere with professional services in rural areas in particular,” he added. 

The HSE issued a statement on Monday saying it would continue to implement the interim contract before the appointment of an independent body.

Adrian Mullins, a Salthill pharmacist, told the Galway Independent that this was akin to “shutting the stable door after the horse bolted”.  

The HSE said on Monday that a provisional flat dispensing fee of €5 will be offered to pharmacists until the independent body has made its report. However, this is not satisfying pharmacists.

According to Brian Walsh of Matt O’Flaherty’s chemist in the Eyre Square Shopping Centre, the figures released by the HSE last week in relation to pharmacist’s reimbursement were ‘spun’, because this year’s listings included the price of the drugs, rather than the ‘profit’ paid by the HSE to pharmacists.

Mr Walsh said the new reduction in the reimbursement being paid to pharmacists by the HSE meant that pharmacists would be supplying some drugs to customers at a loss.

Pharmacists participating in the medical card scheme or the drug refund scheme buy medicines from wholesalers such as United Drug or Unipharm. They supply these drugs to customers, and are then reimbursed 100 per cent of the price, plus €3.26 on every transaction.