Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 February 2014
679. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he will examine the anomalous situation which results in medical card holders on mixed dosage medication being charged for each mililitre size as an individual item (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9317/14]
View answerMedical card holders are required to pay a €2.50 charge per item for medicines and other prescription items supplied to them by community pharmacists, subject to a cap of €25 per month for each person or family. Prescription charges do not apply to children in the care of the HSE or to methadone supplied to patients participating in the Methadone Treatment Scheme.
Where a drug or medicine is required to be dispensed in different strengths and different containers, a prescription charge applies to each claimed strength of the product.
The following information was provided under Standing Order 40A
Section 59 of the Health Act 1970 (as amended by Section 1 of the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2010) provides that a person with full eligibility supplied with prescribed drugs, medicines and medical and surgical appliances by a community pharmacy contractor shall be charged an amount of €0.50, or such other amounts as may be determined by regulations made by the Minister, per item supplied to that person. The Health Services (Prescription Charges) Regulations 2013 provided that for the purposes of Section 59(1A) a prescription charge of €2.50 would apply from the 1st December 2013.
When a medicine is required to be dispensed in different strengths/different containers, each strength/container is regarded as a separate item and each attracts a separate prescription charge. In the type of case raised by the Deputy, as warfarin was dispensed in three different strengths, three separate prescription charges were duly chargeable by the community pharmacy contractor.
However, this case does raise policy issues surrounding the implementation of prescription charges which I will consider further.
