Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 January 2014
241. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health his plans for a potential partnership between the National Health Service in the UK and the Health Service Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3426/14]
View answerMost drugs and medicines which are paid for by the HSE are supplied to patients through over 1,800 community pharmacies who, in turn, purchase them from wholesalers or, to a lesser extent, directly from drug manufacturers. The current pharmacy based model results in over 70 million items being dispensed annually through local pharmacies across the State, including low population centres in rural areas. It enables pharmacies to receive deliveries each day from multiple wholesalers ensuring that all patients have continued access to essential medicines without delay. Under this model, as the drugs are purchased by individual pharmacies with no direct input by the HSE, there is no scope for the type of purchasing arrangement envisaged by the Deputy.
The Irish Pharmacy market is among the most competitive in Europe enabling any registered pharmacist to open a retail pharmacy business in Ireland. Recent media reports concerning reduced prices being charged for medicines at a new pharmacy in Dublin is an example of how the current Pharmacy model can deliver more competitive prices which will result in savings for both consumers and the taxpayer.
Establishing an alternative centralised distribution centre capable of distributing 70 million items across the State would be extremely difficult to achieve and would absorb any potential savings available to the HSE from directly purchasing medicines or entering into a partnership with another jurisdiction to jointly purchase medicines.
