Vol. 493 No. 5
169 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 19 of 16 June 1998, he will agree that the logical consequence of allowing a greater mark-up to pharmacists under community drugs schemes as opposed to the general medical services scheme will be a serious shortage of pharmaceutical outlets in poorer middle class areas; his views in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16826/98]
170 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No. 19 of 16 June 1998, the reasons his Department has come to this agreement with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association and the Irish Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association; the reason agreements are put into place which allow the same drugs to be priced differently under different schemes; the rationale behind these differences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16827/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 169 and 170 together.
The current agreement in place with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association and the Irish Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association is the latest in a series of agreements covering supply terms, conditions and the price of medicines to the health services. This agreement governs the price to wholesalers — wholesale price — in respect of medicines reimbursed on all schemes and also medicines supplied to hospitals. Therefore, the wholesale price of a particular drug is the same for all the schemes. As indicated in my reply to the Deputy's parliamentary question of 16 June 1998, the difference in the retail price occurs because of the retail mark-up, normally 50 per cent, which is applied by pharmacists in respect of private dispensing. Under the community drug schemes, pharmacists and/or patients are refunded in respect of private dispensing which exceeds specified thresholds.
The difference in mark-up between the GMS and community drug schemes has had no adverse impact on the availability of community pharmacies in disadvantaged areas. On the contrary the supply of medicines on the GMS scheme through community pharmacies has encouraged the establishment of community pharmacies in such areas.
