The President of the Irish Pharmacy Union has said he does not see pharmacists signing up to the State-funded hormone replacement therapy scheme.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Tom Murray said the proposal, which was announced yesterday, will see pharmacists making a "further loss on another State scheme".
HRT is a medicine-based treatment used to relieve symptoms of menopause and perimenopause.
Yesterday, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill announced a State-funded HRT scheme for women designed to give patients access to HRT products and medicines at no charge.
The scheme will involve the Department paying each participating pharmacy a €5 dispensing fee per HRT product, along with a €1,000 one-off grant, the minister said.
Ms Carroll MacNeill said she has written to all community pharmacies asking them to sign up to the new scheme, which will commence from 1 June.
The scheme was originally due to come into effect on 1 January, but was delayed following a lack of agreement between the Department of Health and pharmacy representatives.
The original scheme involved patients being required to pay the dispensing fee for HRT medication, which could amount to as much as €10.
In the newly-announced scheme, the Department of Health will cover dispensing fees, the minister said.
However, in a statement the IPU warned that a €5 fee per medicine is not viable, adding that it "no longer reflects the cost of delivering safe, regulated and professional care".
IPU President Tom Murray said such a scheme is not sustainable.
"Unfortunately, it's a voluntary scheme and I don't see pharmacists signing up to the scheme because we have put in multiple proposals to the minister and to the department about a break-even point where we would be able to make this supply," he said.
Mr Murray said the State is asking pharmacists to transfer a private patient into a public patient and make a further loss on the scheme.
"What we are trying to do is to work with the minister to deliver a sustainable scheme whereby free HRT will be free HRT that protects the jobs and the investments in our businesses and protects the people we're employed and delivered."
He said that if women present a prescription from June, "as it currently stands, we will be asking for payment".
Mr Murray said that €6.50 is the break-even point for pharmacies regarding HRT products, based on figures provided by external economic advisors.
He said the union has asked for a €6.50 fee to be provided in order to move forward and implement the scheme.
He added that the IPU is open to consultations on the issue with the Minister for Health.
"We are six weeks out. We're happy to work with the minister and continue consultation to resolve this," he said.
In a statement yesterday, Ms Carroll MacNeill said the department regrets the lack of agreement with the IPU despite months of engagement.
She said the IPU was also offered the option of a €3,000 one-off grant to each participating pharmacy to try find a resolution on dispensing fees as an alternative to the proposed scheme, but that this offer did not lead to an agreement.
Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Health David Cullinane welcomed the announcement of the scheme, saying it was "an important step towards genuinely free HRT, in line with the proposals which Sinn Féin had made from the outset.
He added that Minister MacNeill must ensure that pharmacists accept and engage with the scheme, however.
Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice also welcomed the minister’s acceptance that a dispensing fee should be covered as part of the free HRT scheme, but criticised the Government’s handling of the issue.
"Despite the minister setting a target today for a June 1 starting date for the roll-out of free HRT, there is still major uncertainty about pharmacy participation.
"The minister must work constructively with community pharmacists to ensure that they can participate in the scheme, and that free HRT is available and accessible to all who need it."
Mr Rice also called on the Government to consider reimbursing women for any HRT costs incurred since the scheme's originally intended start date of 1 January 2025.
