Madam, – I have been a GP for 12 years, having worked in Ireland, UK and Australia. I am happy to see Dr James Reilly take over as Minister for Health and I think his new health strategy is admirable. I fully support free primary care, however, I strongly disagree with his plan to scrap the 50c prescription charge. Why?
Not so long ago I carried out a home visit to an elderly lady. She wanted to show me something and opened a drawer. Inside were 10 tubes of unopened creams for a skin condition. I asked her why she had so many and she repled that they were always on the prescription but she had kept forgetting to tell the doctor to stop prescribing them. I suggested she do so as each cream cost approximately €100. She then informed me that she had already done so and her sudden change in heart was due to the fact that she was now being charged 50c for the tube.
So a yearly fee of €6 saves the state €1,200. I request that Dr Reilly change his mind or at the very least reduce rather than abolish the fee. A fee, even a small one, makes people aware that everything has a cost and someone has to pay for it. Many other GPs feel the same as I do, but won’t say so publicly. – Is mise,
Madam, – Dr James Reilly, our new Minister for Health, proposes that the prescription government levy which is 50c per item be discontinued. I would recommend hastening slowly on this point.
As a practising pharmacist, I have been surprised at the very low to non-existent level of opposition by medical card holders to this levy.
I had expected that many people would opt not to have their prescriptions dispensed because of the charge, and that there would be a noticeable reduction in the number of prescriptions dispensed, but this has not been the case, in my limited experience.
That some would comment on the, “ very good value” for the prescription levy, was something I had not expected.
However, my experience may not be that of other pharmacists.
I hope the Minister can quantify the number of prescriptions written but not dispensed, both before and after the introduction of the prescription levy, so as to quantify the effect of the levy in reducing patients’ compliance with their prescribed treatments. – Yours, etc,