The Discretionary Hardship Arrangement is in place to facilitate patients who, due to financial hardship, are unable to afford items not currently available on the reimbursement list. The arrangement is not currently covered by the Community Pharmacy Contractors’ Agreement and pharmacists are under no obligation to operate this arrangement.
We understand the pressure on pharmacies to operate this arrangement due to ongoing medicine shortages. If a patient is unhappy with the current eligibility under their medical card, they should be directed to the HSE Customer Care or their local TD as it is not the pharmacist’s role to resolve the issue by operating a discretionary arrangement as a norm when it is so poorly managed.
