113. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the action she has taken to ensure that community pharmacists will administer the free hormone replacement therapy, HRT, scheme from 1 June 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24511/25]
Sentiment score: 0.24
I put it to the Minister that 1 June is 19 days away. The majority of pharmacists I have spoken to - and I have spoken to many - tell me they are not signing up to the free HRT scheme. I understand that no communication has been made to the pharmacists about the software. It is my understanding that the providers of the software have not been given any information by the Department about adding free HRT to the system. Most pharmacists are opposed and no IT system is in place. What actions has the Minister undertaken to ensure the women of this country can access free HRT from 1 June?
Sentiment score: 0.19
I thank the Minister for the reply. At the heart of this mess are women on HRT and the women who could be on it. For non-GMS patients, the cost is €35 to €70 per month. This is a serious amount of money for many women. I am hugely passionate about this scheme but this crack of announcing first and working out the details later is simply unacceptable. There are four key issues here, the first of which is the lack of HRT. We want to give out free HRT and yet we know there are enormous stock shortages in the system. Pharmacists now are having to seek out unlicensed medicines, which are not recognised with the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, and costing on average €15.90 while the GMS is only paying €6.47. It is either the patient or the chemist who will have to absorb that greater cost. This is going on right across the country at this point in time. The second issue is the IT system. I do not know if the Minister has looked at this but there is a key issue about adding that into the software. There has been no information to date on that. The third issue is co-operation with the sector. With the greatest of respect to the Minister, the effective use of power means sitting down and talking. Going on to Joe Duffy to issue a diktat is not how to go about it. The Department has-----
Sentiment score: 0.06
The first thing was to have written to every pharmacist in the country-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
I wrote to pharmacies across-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
----- my constituency. The first they heard of it was on "Liveline". The key thing is that the Department-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
----- has form on this. With regard to the Covid vaccination, the first pharmacists heard of it was through the airwaves. The prescription extension scheme was introduced last September, and no homework was done on it. GPs are writing "do not repeat" scripts. There was no fee agreed with the pharmacists. The scheme is not operating as intended. On the fee itself, there is a sense out there that the diktat of €5-----
Sentiment score: -0.05
----- is the straw that is breaking the camel's back. We are all clear that pharmacists are not on the breadline.
Sentiment score: 0.19
It is extremely foolish to assume that the pharmacy sector is like what it was 20 years ago. This is about recognition and respect for what pharmacists are delivering. A figure of €6.50 was agreed for the contraception scheme. I get that a negotiation has to take place - I come from a trade union background - but to my mind, no negotiation took place here. With regard to the IT system, I have looked at the software.
Sentiment score: 0.07
An additional line has to be put in. I have spoken to a number of pharmacists - not just one - and they have told me that there has been no communication with them about what will be added to the software to link them to the PCRS by 1 June.
Sentiment score: -0.11