Madam, - As a pharmacist no longer involved in community pharmacy, might I make a suggestion as to how the HSE could arrive at a fair level of remuneration for the various drug schemes?
The HSE should, under independent scrutiny, buy and run at least one community pharmacy. It should open for the 60 to 90 hours that is the norm, not close at lunch-hour, and be staffed by full-time HSE pharmacists and staff, enjoying all of the standard civil service perks including pension rights.
I think this would quickly establish the baseline cost of running a pharmacy as no one could doubt the highly efficient manner in which the HSE would operate it. Perhaps some extra margin might be allowed to the private pharmacy operators who in reality would never be able to attain the same levels of efficiency as a HSE-run business.
One extra advantage would be the assurance patients would feel in having their medicines dispensed by the HSE. It is hard to envisage such an entity making a dispensing error when one looks at its safety record in other areas.
I am sure most people, look forward to our Minister for Health cutting the ribbon on the first of these highly cost-efficient businesses, with their promise of new levels of service and safety. - Yours, etc,
JOHN DORAN,
Gilford Park,
Dublin 4.