The IPU Pre-Budget Submission has been submitted to the Ministers for Finance, Public Expenditure Reform and the Minister for Health ahead of Budget 2024. The following are our main proposals included in the submission:
- A restoration of pay with an increase in the State scheme dispensing fee to €6.50. The public sector pay link must also be restored to ensure a stable basis for the sector into the future;
- Additional funding should be made available to the HSE Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) to compensate pharmacies for the ongoing increase in administrative requirements for administering the community drug schemes;
- €13,700 per pharmacy to cover the costs of implementing the Falsified Medicines Directive and the Delegated Regulation of Safety Features;
- A retrospective payment to cover COVID-19 costs of €21,000 per pharmacy;
- The introduction of a community pharmacy-based triage service to include a Minor Ailment Scheme and facilitating women with the choice of accessing contraception through a pharmacy on foot of a structured consultation; and
- The immediate recruitment of a Chief Pharmaceutical Officer (CPO) at a senior level within the Department of Health.
A copy of the submission with further details can be read here.
