Written Answers. - Drug Treatment Services.
Tony Gregory
Ceist:
74
Mr. Gregory
asked the
Minister for Health,
arising from his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 103 of 4 February 1997, the numbers of persons currently being prescribed methadone at each of the pharmacies in Dublin 8; and if the Eastern Health Board can take steps to ensure that each pharmacy caters for a similar number in order to alleviate the pressure on any one location (details supplied).
[4056/97]
Limerick East): Methadone can be prescribed through the General Medical Services for medical card holders or on a private prescription for those attending a general practitioner on a private basis. Information is only available on the methadone dispensed through the General Medical Services scheme. A detailed examination of the dispensing of methadone during October 1996 by the GMS showed that five pharmacies dispensed in that period as follows:
|
Pharmacy
|
Number of Persons
|
|
1
|
200
|
|
2
|
84
|
|
3
|
23
|
|
4
|
3
|
|
5
|
1
|
The reply to Question No. 103 of 4 February noted that there were eight pharmacies in Postal District 8 which dispensed methadone, but during the month of October 1996, which was taken for the purpose of this reply, only five pharmacies in that district dispensed.
The Eastern Health Board has four main treatment centres where methadone is dispensed on site. These are at Amiens Street, Baggot Street, Aisling Clinic in Ballyfermot and Ballymun. Trinity Court, which is managed by the Drug Treatment Centre, also dispenses methadone on site in Pearse Street. With the exception of Baggot Street all treatment centres dispense methadone on a seven day basis, where necessary, and the ingestion of the methadone is supervised on site at the treatment centres.
General practitioners who work in satellite clinics for the health board do so on a contract basis and prescribe methadone which can be dispensed at any retail pharmacy. This is carried out on a very structured basis with treatment cards and a contract with the client is arranged. The pharmacy referred to by the Deputy does not exclusively provide a methadone service for the Eastern Health Board, rather it dispenses methadone as it would any other medication on foot of a properly written doctor's prescription. At present any general practitioner can prescribe methadone and this methadone can be dispensed at any retail pharmacy.
The Eastern Health Board is in the process of encouraging more pharmacists to dispense methadone. It is the board's policy to encourage drug users to use the nearest chemist to where they live rather than transferring to another area. The board is also in consultation with local groups in the Inchicore area regarding the establishment of treatment facilities in the area. It is intended to site these facilities at the Inchicore Health Centre.
A review is currently under way to examine the role of general practitioners and pharmacists in the provision of services for drug misusers. The review will examine present practice in relation to the prescribing and dispensing of methadone and will advise on how the present system can be expanded, with the appropriate controls, to encourage more doctors and pharmacists to become involved in the treatment of drug misusers.
