Graduate

PROFESSIONAL
POLITICS Stephen O’Byrnes
Minister thanks pharmacists
regarding over-70s
prescription levy cut
The Minister for Health expressed thanks to pharmacies and
the HSE recently for “the swift implementation” by them of
the reduction in prescription charges for persons aged 70
and over, which came into effect on 1 March last.
Simon Harris
Fine Gael
Gino Kenny
People Before Profit Alliance
Michael Healy-Rae
Independent
Tommy Broughan
Independent
The Minister for Health,
Deputy Simon Harris (Fine
Gael, Wicklow) was speaking
during the Dáil debate on
the Health Bill to give effect
to this measure.
Under a commitment
made in the Programme
for Government last year,
it reduces the prescription
charge for medical card
holders aged 70 years
and older, and for their
dependants, to €2 per
prescription item, with a
monthly cap of €20 for an
individual or family.
Minister Harris said this
would cost €12 million in a full
year, and would benefit nearly
390,000 people. It was expected
to save this group of patients
€10 million in 2017. He had
decided, following consultation
with the Attorney General, to
introduce the reduced charges
on an administrative basis
by the HSE from 1 March,
pending the passage of the
enabling legislation.
Pointing out that people
aged 70 years and over
had higher medication
requirements than the
general population, he said
that, while the over 70s were
just under 20% of the medical
card population, nearly half
of the drugs dispensed under
the GMS scheme were for over
70s. The average number of
items dispensed per person
over 70 years was seven,
compared to two items per
person under 70.
Pharmacists and doctors to be consulted
on cannabis access programme
Pending the establishment of an access programme for
cannabis-based treatments in Ireland, as set out recently
by the Health Products Regulatory Authority’s report
Cannabis for Medical Use – A Scientific Review, the Minister
for Health may provide a licence for access to cannabis
for medical purposes in individual cases.
The Minister was replying to a number of questions
in the Dáil recently on the issue. He said that the
granting of such a licence must, however, be based
on an appropriate application being submitted to the
Department of Health by a medical consultant who is
responsible for the management of the patient and who
makes the clinical decision to prescribe the treatment
and monitor its effects over time.
Questions were posed by Deputies Gino Kenny (People
Before Profit Alliance, Dublin Mid-West), Michael Healy-Rae
(Independent, Kerry) and Tommy Broughan (Independent,
Dublin Bay North).
It was crucial, Minister Harris added, “that the granting
of any such licence takes due care and consideration of the
potential unintended consequences associated with the
prescription of cannabis for medical purposes, and that
its use is endorsed by a consultant who is familiar with
and responsible for the care of the individual for whom
the licence application is being made... The professional
role of doctors and pharmacists is integral to the safe
and effective use of all drugs which are prescribed. In
establishing an access programme for medical cannabis,
it is therefore critical that the expert views of these
professionals, through their professional bodies, are
considered. Efforts are under way to ensure that, prior to
its establishment, the planned access programme reflects
this expert input in order to assure clarity of the roles and
responsibilities of doctors and pharmacists in prescribing
and dispensing cannabis for medical purposes in the
interests of safe and effective practice.” Consequently,
officials from the Department of Health and the HPRA
would consult with these stakeholders on how the access
programme would operate.
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IPUREVIEW APRIL 2017