The withdrawal of funding for medication blister packs was an ill-thought-out and cruel choice. It is disappointing that the Minister has allowed this issue to fester into the debacle we now have before us. I raised this with the Minister over a month ago, and her response, in effect, was to deny that there was or has been an issue at all until, that is, the public outcry became much too much. Pharmacists are being asked to play an ever more important and front-line role within our communities, and it is time Fine Gael treated them with respect. We had a similar fiasco at the onset of the year, when despite promising a free HRT scheme through pharmacies from January, the roll-out was delayed because the Minister simply could not get the job done on time. That was not a pharmacist issue; that was the Minister's issue, and so too is this. While the Government attempts to muddy the water, the fact of the matter is that reimbursement for blister packs was known and has been understood by the Government. The Minister sought to withdraw this crucial support, she got called out for it and she has backed down for now. Vulnerable patients who rely on these packs to manage the dosage of their medication cannot be asked to stump up as much as €50 per month arising from the inept leadership of this Government. Many will not or cannot, and that is a public health concern of the her making. Sinn Féin's motion offers the Minister the opportunity to draw a line under this. I urge her to take that responsibility, accept that she was wrong and implement this motion.

Sentiment score: -0.11