Irish pharmacists ramp up campaign
The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) has accused the Department of Health of acting ‘in a deeply disingenuous manner’. The IPU is ramping up its campaign to increase dispensing fees and achieve full pay restoration for pharmacists.
The IPU has said that the figures released by the Department of Health are misleading, and that the increase in state payments to the sector is due to pharmacies undertaking more work on the sector’s behalf. At the same time, the fees they receive are 24% lower than they were in 2009.
The IPU further stated that the increase in workload from the state is creating and worsening the issues. It has asked for clear and open dialogue with the sector rather than only internal dialogue and for a resolution that all parties can support.