Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 March 2021
747. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health when the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest cuts made to pharmacies will be reversed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11112/21]
View answerI wish to fully acknowledge that community pharmacy has played a pivotal role in responding to the health needs of the public during the COVID-19 crisis. It is recognised that community pharmacists have ensured the continued availability of a professional, accessible service for the public and have successfully managed to alleviate the worries and concerns of the population around continuity of medicine supply in the face of great uncertainty.
The regulations to which the Deputy refers, were made under section 9 of the FEMPI Act 2009 and these were set to expire at the end of 2019. It was therefore necessary for my predecessor to enact new legislation under the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017, in order to maintain a statutory basis for contractor payments and to prescribe the fees payable from that date.
The previous Government gave a commitment to commence a strategic review of the role of community pharmacists and to engage with the Irish Pharmaceutical Union to develop revised contractual terms. It is my intention to honour that commitment as the existing GMS pharmacy contract is substantially outdated. It has not kept pace with developments that have taken place over the course of recent years including the increasing emphasis on maximising the proportion of people’s healthcare needs met in primary care, interdisciplinary collaboration and the skillset that pharmacists have by virtue of their education and training.
The comprehensive review of the pharmacy contract will address the role to be played by community pharmacy in the context of Sláintecare. It will consider all aspects of pharmacy service provision including delivery of a multi-disciplinary model of service delivery for patients, ensuring clarity of roles and achieving optimum value for money. However, any publicly funded pharmacy service expansion should address unmet public healthcare needs, improve access to existing public health services or provide better value for money or patient outcomes.
