Health Minister Simon Harris
Minister for Health Simon Harris is patting himself on the back and feeling good because of the deal the HSE has done with the pharmaceutical companies. But what about the feelings of the ordinary Irish taxpayers, who fund the HSE but who also have to pay for their own medicines?
I was being charged over €20 for my monthly generic medicine at the local chemist. When I recently discovered that the “HSE price” was between €5 and €6, and queried this with the chemist, I was informed that the €20-plus price I paid was correct. Apparently this was made up of the HSE price (presumably this includes an element of profit for the chemist), plus a “prescription charge” (aka profit), plus a mark-up (profit again).
But it’s not all bad news. Luckily, I have a travel pass and now buy my medicine in Newry. For £5.
Michael Marr,
Dublin 13.