Tá fearg mhór ann go mbeidh ar dhaoine leochaileacha íoc as pacáistí táibléad blister mar gheall ar chinneadh an Rialtais. Beidh tionchar ar leith aige seo ar dhaoine atá ag dul siar i mblianta agus ar dhaoine atá ag maireachtáil le néaltrú agus galar Alzheimer a bhraitheann ar na pacáistí seo. Tá a fhios againn nach bhfuil sé seo ceart. Caithfidh an Rialtas gníomhú chun a chinntiú go leanfaidh na daoine seo a bheith ábalta a gcuid pacáistí táibléad blister a fháil saor in aisce. The Taoiseach's Government's decision to restrict medications covered under the phased dispensing scheme operated by pharmacies is a disaster. The Government's decision means some of the most vulnerable people will no longer receive tablet blister packs free of charge. We are talking of tens of thousands of older people living with conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer's. They rely on tablet blister packs to help manage their medication. We are also talking about people with disabilities who are under real pressure with the cost of living. The packs help them make sure they take the right dosage at the right time of day. The Government's decision means the cost of dispensing the blister packs - paid for by the State for decades - will now be passed on to these vulnerable customers. They will be hit by fee charges of up to €50 a month in some cases for these packs. This is a bad decision for the Government at any time but it made this cruel choice during a cost-of-living crisis when every euro is precious to people. It is like it cannot stop itself from making life harder for people. It hiked up student fees, the local property tax and the cost of petrol and diesel. It stands back and allows big energy companies to jack up electricity and gas bills and now it hits the most vulnerable elderly people. It is putting huge stress on people during the Christmas period as they know they are going to have to face these charges come 1 January. My phone, and I am sure those of others as well, has been hopping with people very worried and very angry over this. I spoke to one elderly man this morning. He is in his late 70s and told me his lovely wife suffers from dementia. He said without the blister pack he would find it very hard to manage her medication but he does not know where they are going to find the extra money to pay for them. He says they are literally down to the last euro every couple of weeks as it is. The explanation the Taoiseach and his Government have offered is the State never agreed to pay for the dispensing of these blister packs in the first place. Does he really think that matters to people who rely on them? The fact is the government has been paying for these for decades. If there was a mistake in how the packs were being paid for and a correction had to be made, it should have been made to ensure those folks could continue receiving their tablet blister packs as they have been but, no, the Government decided to punish vulnerable people, to ratchet up their costs instead of making sure they are looked after. The truth is the Government had a chance to sort this out. Back in October when it was finalising the new community pharmacy agreement we in Sinn Féin warned it was a big mistake to exclude the blister packs, but the Government chose to ignore that warning, chose to push on and now elderly people and others are paying the price. It is not right, it is not fair and it needs to be stopped. I have simple questions. On behalf of the man I was talking to, and I am sure many others right across this State, I ask the Taoiseach whether he thinks it is right that people with dementia, Alzheimer's and other conditions who received their blister packs free of charge up until now will have to pay for them on 1 January. Will the Government reverse this terrible decision and ensure vulnerable people can continue getting their blister packs free of charge?
Sentiment score: -0.08
I asked the Taoiseach the question and he did not answer it. I asked him the question, with respect, of whether he believes people with dementia and Alzheimer's who were receiving the blister packs free of charge should be charged for them from 1 January. No matter what way the Taoiseach presents it, these packs were being funded. For right or wrong, they were being funded. Of course there are issues. The issue is that the man who was talking to me this morning and his wife who is suffering with dementia will have to pay in January for the blister pack they were getting free of charge. Do not try to pull this one - that the Government is actually reducing the cost of medication - when people out there have been getting letters from their pharmacies saying from 1 January the HSE will no longer be providing blister packs and there will be an additional charge of €20 per month for the packs. Please do not tell people that black is white and white is black. People know what is happening out there. The question is whether the Government is going to reverse this. These are elderly people and vulnerable people who rely on blister packs to ensure they take their medication on time. Many people cannot afford to pay for them.
Sentiment score: 0.01
It was a Government decision that restricted the way in which pharmacies were claiming, and it has resulted in this. Will the Taoiseach please answer the question? Will he reverse the decision? Should people with dementia and Alzheimer's, who were getting it free, have to pay for it in January?
Sentiment score: 0.09
You put up the cost.
Sentiment score: 0.00
The Taoiseach has just ten seconds left. What is he going to do?
Sentiment score: 0.00
The Government has just agreed a deal but it left out blister packs.
Sentiment score: 0.14