Doctors slam prescription charge

[Posted: Thu 10/12/2009 by Niall Hunter, Editor - www.irishhealth.com]

Doctors have criticised the Government's Budget move to introduce a 50 cent per item medical card prescription charge.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has slammed the prescription charge and the decision to raise the Drug Payment Scheme threshold to €120 per month.

And it has been pointed out that many chronically-ill patients often have numerous items on their prescriptions and may be badly hit by the charge.

The IMO's GP Chairman Dr Ronan Boland said the relationship between poverty and ill-health is well-documented.

"Available evidence shows that those on low incomes or in poverty have relatively high mortality rates, higher levels of ill health and fewer resources to adopt healthier lifestyles."

Dr Boland said the prescription charge on medical card and long-term illness scheme prescriptions will disproportionately affect elderly and low income groups and those suffering from long-term illness.

"While the size of the charge is initially modest, doctors and patients alike fear that the charge will be increased steadily over time."

The increase in the drug payment threshold, he added, will discourage the use of essential medication.

Cork GP Dr Mary Favier told irishhealth.com that patients who for example, had had a heart attack would be on at least four medications and if they had diabetes on top of this they would need another four drugs.

She said despite what Mary Harney claimed, a 50 cent charge was not an effective way of discouraging over-prescribing and there were other more effective ways this could be achieved.

"If there is abuse of the system, then that is fraud and in that case there is a need for proper audit."

Dr Favier said the vast majority of medical card patients who had multiple items on their prescriptions needed these medicines. She had one patient who was on 23 separate medications, all of which were needed.

A payment ceiling of €10 per family per month will apply to the prescription charge.

Read more Budget analysis here

Anonymous  Posted: 15/12/2009 11:00

I agree completely with the doctors in this case.

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