Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 Mar 2003

Vol. 562 No. 6

Written Answers - General Medical Services Scheme.

Liz McManus

Question:

81 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the way in which he proposes to achieve savings of ?2 million from invalid medicine claims made by community pharmacists as announced by him on 6 December 2002; if his attention has been drawn to the circular sent by his Department to all contractor pharmacists advising them that from 1 April 2003, pharmacists will no longer be reimbursed for all GMS and DPS claims deemed by his Department to be invalid; the way in which he proposes to ensure that persons estimated to be as many as 60,000, who are eligible for such medicines, will not have to pay for them due to serious shortcomings in the patient registration system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6629/03]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

On foot of a Government decision, my Department directed the General Medical Services (Payments) Board to discontinue the practice of reimbursing invalid or ineligible pharmacy claims. This had been identified by the Comptroller and Auditor General as an issue that needs to be addressed urgently. In order to implement this decision, the payments board issued a circular to pharmacists on 14 February 2003 setting out a mechanism by which invalid or ineligible claims could be identified and informing pharmacists that such claims will no longer be reimbursed from 1 April 2003.

In response to concerns raised by pharmacists regarding both the administrative aspects and the timescale proposed in the circular, my Department met the payments board and the Irish Pharmaceutical Union on 25 February 2003 to consider the issues raised by pharmacists and to discuss the most efficient and effective means to implement the Government decision. Arising from this meeting, at which a number of issues of mutual concern were discussed, all parties agreed to work towards formulating an appropriate mechanism to implement the decision.

I would point out that it is not the intention to permit any individual hardship to arise from the implementation of this decision. The aim is to ensure that there is effective management of the large number of claims annually which cannot be attributed to a valid GMS or drugs payment scheme entitlement, particularly in the context of the substantial cost to the taxpayer. Where there are difficulties with individual claims that cannot be validated for a genuine reason, I am confident that the final mechanism agreed between all parties will overcome any administrative difficulties that may emerge, and that close co-operation between the payments board, the health boards and pharmacists will ensure that all issues relating to incomplete claims are dealt with in a manner that minimises inconvenience to individual patients.