The HSE said it will publish a daily revised list of pharmacies that will continue to provide services under the State drug schemes after August 1st, after it was earlier accused of publishing an 'inaccurate' list.
About 760 pharmacists have served the HSE with valid notice that they will not continue to dispense drugs under the schemes from that date, following Minister for Health Mary Harney's decision to reduce their fees.
Confusion arose when an extensive list, prepared by the HSE, was published as an advertisement in newspapers today. Some pharmacists on the list claimed they should not have been included on it.
In a statement tonight, the HSE said that in order for a pharmacist to terminate their community pharmacy contractor agreement they must submit to the HSE "a valid 30 day termination notice".
It said the termination of such an agreement was a significant decision and it would be incorrect for the HSE to accept anything less than completely unambiguous correspondence as a valid termination notice".
"The HSE has written to pharmacists a number of times over the last six weeks and has given them ample opportunity to clarify that they wish to terminate their contracts.
"In the interests of clarity, the HSE again wrote to all pharmacists on July 24th providing pharmacists with another opportunity to clarify their position and notifying them that a list of participating pharmacies would be published. A response was not received from a number of pharmacists."
A total of 23 pharmacies today told the HSE they were withdrawing their termination notices and wished to continue dispensing medicines to their customers under the State drug schemes, the HSE said.
Some 21 "clarified" that they had served valid termination notice to the HSE and will now be taken off the HSE list.
The HSE said its revised list showed that 854 pharmacists will continue to provide services from August 1st.
Pat O'Dowd of the HSE's contracts Office said: "When it comes to such a major decision there is a significant difference between correspondence which expresses dissatisfaction with the new arrangements or an intention to do something and a valid termination notice."
"The list published today is based on the information we had available to us. We can only act on valid information. We cannot act on intentions. We are prepared to amend our list if we receive valid notice from a pharmacy in relation to the termination of their contract."
The HSE said it received "thousands of pieces of correspondence from pharmacists in recent weeks".
"The HSE list is compiled based on information available to the HSE at a given point in time. It would amend the list as new information came to light.
The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) said earlier the list of pharmacies published by the HSE as still participating in the schemes, including medical cards and the Drug Payment Scheme, contained "gross inaccuracies".
IPU president Liz Hoctor said the list was a "smokescreen" and confirmed the union's view that the HSE has no workable contingency plan for dealing with the withdrawal by pharmacists from the drugs schemes.
"Days before the August 1st deadline, patients anxiety has been increased by the misinformation contained in today's HSE newspaper ad. The onus is on the Minister to provide a safe and workable alternative to patients to access their medicines, as she and the HSE assured us would be done," she said.
"This is a desperate attempt by a desperate organisation to hide the fact that they do not have a workable plan capable of meeting the needs of patients. Pharmacists have absolutely no faith in the contingency plan put in place by the HSE. We are extremely worried about the ability of the plan to deliver even a basic pharmacy service."
The IPU said it would put a list of over 1,100 pharmacies who have notified the union that they will not be participating in community drug schemes up on its website.
Earlier today, charity Age Action called for talks to recommence to try to resolve the pharmacists' dispute.
The group said it was regrettable that sick, older people have been caught up in the row, and urged the HSE to ensure that the contingency plans it put in place prioritise those who are house-bound or live in remote areas that are not served by public transport.
Age Action urged older people on regular medication to take steps to ensure they will not be affected by the dispute.
“It is important that older people act to ensure that the dispute does not impact on their supply of medication,” said spokesman Eamon Timmins.
“For people in rural areas it may mean organising a lift to the pharmacist and arranging transport to an alternative pharmacist. We would urge families and neighbours to help those who do not have public transport.”