Madam, – I am one of the many thousands of senior citizens of this country who depend for their survival on medical card prescriptions made up by their local pharmacist. My much respected local pharmacist, together with, I understand, hundreds of his fellows, will no longer be prescribing to the likes of me after the end of this month, in protest at the change in prescription charges put in place, without any consultation with practising pharmacists, by Minister for Health Mary Harney.
I understand that her new arrangements are non-negotiable and that any attempt by the pharmacists for meetings and discussions have been ruled out. What is going to happen next is not clear, although it appears there will be centres dotted around the country where the prescriptions of medical card holders will still be made up without charge. I am lucky that I have a car and can travel to the designated pharmacists, and that, if necessary, I have the resources to pay for my prescription and then claim a refund from the HSE, although one friend tells me that it took him six months to receive a refund after making a relevant claim!
What concerns me most is: what about people not as lucky as I am, who have no car, are perhaps handicapped in one way or another, who maybe live in the country miles from a designated pharmacist, or who simply can’t afford to pay on the spot for their prescription and then wait for a refund? Has Ms Harney thought about the hundreds and hundreds of anxious people, mainly pensioners, totally dependant on their daily medication, who are waiting and worrying for some kind of clarification of this situation? She should tell us all now what she proposes to do to remedy this situation. – Yours, etc,