A local councillor has called on the Minister for Health to reverse the decision of the €50 charge for blister packs.
A decision by the Government to withdraw funding from this month for blister packs issued by pharmacies have been delayed following political backlash to the decision.
Cllr Damien Brady wants to see the idea of charging for the medication holders scraped altogether. The packs keep daily dosage of tablets in separate plastic pockets which allows patients avoid confusion around what to take and when.
Cllr Brady raised the issue at last week’s monthly meeting of Cavan County Council where he said blister packs were a powerful tool especially for the elderly and people living alone.
He said it prevents confusion, skipping medication and double dosing too.
The motion that received full support by the county council members requested Cavan County Council to write to the HSE and the Minster of Health to reverse the decision of the planned charging of the packs. Cllr Brady said it’s not fair and he said for people that will not be able to afford the added cost will mean they will go without their blister pack and that’s not right.