The chairman of an independent body set up to examine payments for pharmacists has warned of "innocent casualties" as a result of the dispute with the Government.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme this morning, Séan Dorgan said pharmacists enjoyed a privileged position and warned of the possible consequences for customers if the row continues.
"One of the distressing things over the last week is the way in which the old, the vulnerable and the sick have been used to try and defend what is indefensible," he said.
"In some respects I think a battle is being fought where the war has been lost for pharmacists. I think what the Government has done will actually stick. I think it probably needs to stick because both of the state of the public finances and because the system that was in place, which had developed over long years, wasn't sustainable."
Following a call by Liz Hoctor of the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) for the appointment of an independent third party to review the impact of the cuts, Mr Dorgan said he would not be acting as a mediator in the dispute, and would not recommend that anyone else take up the role. "I think it's past that. I don't think there's much room for a mediator," he said.
The IPU said pharmacists would resume normal services if such a review was agreed.
Mr Dorgan said the situation was "unsustainable" and that the Health Service Exective was paying three times what prescription drugs cost it in 2000. Part of the problem is due to a significant increase in the volume of prescriptions being dispensed under the State's drug schemes, he said.
"Some 32 million prescription drugs were paid for by the HSE in 2000. This year is likely to be 71 million. That's the fundamental driver - huge volume increase." Mr Dorgan said. Prices have also risen by between 4 and 8 per cent a year, he added.
"The prices in the system at were set up were set up at a time when the HSE was paying for a few million drugs, not 70 million. It just cannot continue," he said. "I think pharmacists should recognise that - the majority of them have."
On the same programme, Minister for Health Mary Harney appealed to pharmacists to honour their contracts with the HSE. She said under competition law, she could not negotiate with the pharmacies on prices.
Ms Harney said the soaring costs were partly down to an ageing population and more treatments for conditions such as cancer and heart disease. She rejected claims the Government has been "asleep at the wheel" and said they had tried to deal with this issue for the past three years. "There is no alternative to what the Government has sought to do here," she said. "The decision made has to stand."
Ms Hoctor this morning said the Minister appeared to still be "misrepresenting the facts" and was not focusing on solving the problem. She said pharmacists were willing to engage in a review of the payments but that Ms Harney had introduced a disproprotionate cut. "Pharmacists are extremely angry at the situation that the Minister has created. No pharmacist wants to be in this situation," Ms Hoctor said.
The IPU accused the Minister of creating a deadlock by dismissing the suggestion that a third-party mediator be appointed to review the situation.
Fine Gael's health spokesman Dr James Reilly said Ms Harney's stance would only prolong the crisis and inflict further suffering on patients, and said it may be necessary for the Taoiseach to intervene.
“Minister Harney is displaying remarkable stubbornness by ruling out any negotiations. She continues to ignore her own reports, and seems oblivious to the hardship and suffering being experienced across the country. As Minister for Health she has a responsibility to find a solution," he said.
“At the same time, the IPU must appreciate the genuine suffering that their action is causing. We have open warfare. Patients are caught up in the chaos and mayhem of this dispute, and innocent victims are in the crossfire."
Meanwhile, Age Action has called on the HSE to review its contingency plans for the dispensing of medication, saying it was clear that they were struggling to meet the needs of people. "It is not acceptable or sustainable that older people should face such stress and hardship to get their medication," spokesman Eamon Timmins said.
The HSE said tonight that 1,134 – or 75 per cent – of all pharmacies continue to have agreements in place under the State drugs schemes. "The HSE would emphasise that patients and clients whose usual pharmacy is no longer participating in the State Drug Schemes can take their prescription to any participating pharmacy where they will be able to get their medicines," it said.
It said its contingency dispensaries have served 5,576 people and provided 10,470 items of medication since they were established last Saturday. It said the Air Corps delivered medicines to the Donegal area last night.
A HSE information line is available on 1850 24 1850.