asked the Minister for Health the number of pharmacists at present employed in Dublin dispensaries.
47.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Dispensary Pharmacists.
46.
asked the Minister for Health if the present number of pharmacists employed in Dublin dispensaries is adequate to cater for the needs of medical card holders.
48.
asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the fact that medical card holders are experiencing great hardship due to the restricted dispensing hours in many Dublin dispensaries; and what action he proposes to take to remedy the situation.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 to 48 together.
A total of 41 pharmacists are employed at present in the dispensaries of the Dublin Health Authority.
I am satisfied that the Dublin Health Authority are authorised to employ sufficient pharmacists to cater for the needs of medical card holders in their area. They experience difficulty at times in recruiting their full complement of staff for dispensary pharmacies but, whenever necessary, pharmacists are loaned from the Central Pharmacy to fill dispensary vacancies.
I am not aware that medical card holders are experiencing great hardship due to restricted dispensing hours in many Dublin dispensaries. The Health Authority regularly review the dispensary pharmacy services in each district and extend the hours of attendance of the pharmacists whenever necessary. The Authority introduced revised arrangements in November last whereby patients entitled to medicines may attend any one of a number of dispensaries which operate a morning and an afternoon service, if the hours of their local dispensary pharmacies are not suitable.
I suggest that the Minister is completely out of touch with the position in regard to the dispensaries in Dublin city. It is a fact that these patients are experiencing extreme hardship——
The Deputy must ask a question and not make a speech.
Will the Minister investigate the hardships these people are suffering, when queues of people have to wait for three or four hours to get medicine in Dublin dispensaries? The Minister seems to be unaware of this fact. Will the Minister look into it to see if there are a sufficient number of pharmacists?
As a result of certain complaints last year I approached the Dublin Health Authority and had a fairly exhaustive investigation carried out at that time. As I said in my reply, there were considerable improvements effected as a result of that inquiry and I most certainly will be glad at any time to carry out further investigations and I shall do so with regard to the statements now made by Deputy Dr. O'Connell.
Does the Minister not agree that the reason for the delay is, in fact, due to the fact that the regulations do not permit county and city managers to delegate the decision?
I do not think so.
That is what my county manager tells me.