TDs and Senators from all parties sharply criticised the Health Service Executive yesterday for the way in which it is going about plans to reduce the amount it reimburses pharmacists for drugs dispensed to medical card holders from March 1st.
The HSE plans to save €100 million on these reimbursements but the Dáil health committee heard the changes were being rammed down the throats of pharmacists without negotiation.
Labour's Jan O'Sullivan accused the HSE of using "bullying tactics" to impose the new regime on pharmacists.
The Fianna Fáil TD Mary O'Rourke said the plan would have to be put on the back boiler.
Dara Calleary, a Fianna Fáil TD for Mayo, said the HSE was "ramming" the plan down the throats of pharmacists while his party colleague Niall Blaney accused the HSE of misleading the committee on what it was doing.
The Irish Pharmaceutical Union told the committee if the changes went ahead on March 1st up to 337 pharmacies could close, resulting in 2,257 full-time jobs being lost. And it said a further 2,500 jobs could be lost as a result of other pharmacies having to reduce staff numbers.
Seán Hurley of the HSE told the meeting the decision to reduce the amount reimbursed to pharmacies was not taken lightly. He said the reimbursement price paid to pharmacies is far higher than the actual price pharmacies pay wholesalers for drugs and the mark-up had to be cut.
After almost five hours in session the committee adjourned until this morning, when motions from Fianna Fáil, Labour and Fine Gael will be considered to try to break the impasse between the sides.