Wednesday 2 September 2009

Ireland - Pharmacy Strike Comes to an End (UPDATE)

The Irish pharmacy strike came to an end on 11th August 2009, after the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) released a statement urging pharmacies to resume services over fears for patient safety.

The Executive of the IPU said the industrial action had to end to prevent the recurrence of “chaotic scenes” which have occurred since many pharmacies withdrew their services on 1st August 2009 (See Ireland - Pay Cut Leads to Pharmaceutical Supply Crisis and Ireland - Pharmacy Row Taken to High Court).

The Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney, has agreed to carry out a review of the operation, effectiveness and impact of the new fees amounts and rates, by 30th June 2010.

However, the IPU has warned of further disruption to patient services if the dispute is not resolved.

Further reading - A detailed review of the Irish pharmaceutical market, including some background information on pharmacies, is available from Espicom: The Pharmaceutical Market: Ireland (published June 2009)

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