Pharmacists oppose increase in Prescription Levy

Wednesday, 23 November 2011 11:43

Pharmacists have cautioned against proposals to increase the Prescription Levy for medicines from 50 cent to €2 and to introduce a €50 charge for a Medical Card.

Darragh O’Loughlin, President of the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), said, “An increase of this magnitude - effectively quadrupling the current charge - could present a significant barrier for people who are already facing real financial hardship and would lead to many of these patients simply not taking the medicines prescribed for them. Even the current 50 cent levy has given rise to difficulties for some vulnerable patients. Any increase in costs would increase the number of patients struggling to continue taking their medicines.”

The IPU has called on the Minister for Health to introduce Medicines Use Reviews to make sure patients are getting the full benefit from their medicines and to ensure patients are taking only those medicines which are clearly necessary for their treatment. This would ensure better outcomes for patients and reduced downstream healthcare costs.

The IPU has also called for vulnerable patients to be exempt from the Levy and have highlighted their concerns to the Government in two recent submissions, including a Submission to the Department of Finance on Budget 2012.

In the submission, the IPU advocates for the following patients to be exempt from the Levy:

• Patients in residential care settings;
• Patients with intellectual disabilities;
• Patients receiving treatment under the Methadone Treatment Scheme in respect of other medication that they may require;
• Patients receiving psychiatric medicines;
• Homeless patients including those in homeless shelters; and
• Palliative care patients and other patients who have their medicines changed on a daily/weekly basis.

Last year, prescription charges were abolished in Northern Ireland and Wales.

Mr. O’Loughlin said, “In extreme cases some patients are choosing not to take their medication at all. If people don’t comply with their medicine regimes, it could end up costing the State more.”

Pharmacists are responsible for collecting the Prescription Levy on behalf of the HSE, and, as the levy is automatically deducted from payments to pharmacists, pharmacists don’t have any discretion as to whether they should collect the levy or not.