HEALTH BRIEFING:A SENIOR member of the HSE West Forum yesterday stated that the State spend on Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs "can no longer be justified".
Cllr Brian Meaney (Green) was commenting on figures from the HSE confirming that the spend on erectile dysfunction drugs through the medical card system rose by almost €500,000 between 2010 and 2009.
In response to a question tabled by Cllr Meaney on the costs to the State of funding the erectile dysfunction drugs, the HSE confirmed that in 2010, the spend came to €6.31 million compared with €5.83 million in 2009. “The breakdown of the €6.3 million shows the ingredient cost of the erectile dysfunction drugs in 2010 was €5.47 million with an additional €809,861 in ‘fee costs’ and €31,302 in VAT. The spend of €5.47 million is sufficient to purchase 182,355 doses of four tablets per month through the medical card system to give a total of 729,422 tablets sold per annum.”
Cllr Meaney said, “This spend can no longer be justified. I do accept that there may be cases where there are sound medical, emotional and social reasons why this medication has to be provided.
“But where we have a health service that is shutting down nursing homes, reducing the opening hours of acute hospitals and slashing a long list of essential services, the €6.3 million spend . . . cannot continue.”
A HSE statement said an expert group advised the maximum number of tablets to be four per month on the medical card and community drugs scheme, “to ensure availability for genuine need, but to reduce the possibility of inappropriate usage”.
