IPU says failures in HSE plans causing chaos

SHORTCOMINGS IN the HSE’s contingency plans are leading to chaotic scenes around the country, the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) has claimed.

John Corr, chairman of the IPU’s contracts committee, said the situation was “snowballing out of control” in many areas as HSE dispensaries and other pharmacies struggled to deal with a backlog of prescriptions and medicine shortages.

“We are receiving many reports of long delays, poor service and lack of stock in north Co Dublin, Waterford city, Donegal, Mayo and Kerry,” he said. According to the IPU, up to 80 people queued for medicines at the HSE dispensary in Donegal up to 10pm on Tuesday. It claimed the dispensary in Ballina remained closed for much of yesterday.

In Co Donegal, an epileptic patient said he was left without vital medication because of a breakdown in the HSE’s back-up dispensary system.

Patrick Harley, from Malin Head, said he was assured his prescription would be delivered by taxi from a temporary dispensary in Stranorlar to a health centre in Carndonagh by 10pm on Tuesday.

However when he went to collect it the prescription wasn’t available and he was told it wouldn’t be available for another 24 hours. Then yesterday he was told the drug,was still not available.

Mr Harley was one of dozens of patients who turned up to collect medication from HSE staff at the Carndonagh health centre on Tuesday night but left empty-handed.

Patient groups and medics also expressed concerns about the effect of the strike generally on epileptics in areas worst affected by the dispute.

Local pharmacist Liam Grimley said the situation in the area was “an absolute mess”.

Nearly all the patients seen by the dispensaries had issues; either they had no medication at all or they left with partially-filled prescriptions. Someone is going to get hurt and the HSE cannot cope with this.”

The HSE said it was not possible to complete all prescriptions on the same day in the area due to the volume of business and, in some cases, a shortage of stock. However, 39 people who were sent away would have their prescription filled by today at the latest, it said.

In Co Mayo, Louisburg pharmacist John Staunton claimed serious errors were made by the dispensary in Castlebar in filling patients’ prescriptions. The single pharmacy in Waterford dispensing medicines under State schemes reported unprecedented demand for prescriptions yesterday.