Pharmacy urged to reverse blister pack charge
LLYODS Pharmacy has been urged to reverse a decision to introduce a charge of €2.50 on blister packs for customers.
The packs hold medications people are required to take on a weekly basis, divided into individual days of the week.
Blister packs
Lloyds say the €2.50 weekly charge for the MyMed blister-packing service, came into effect on October 1 for new patients, with existing patients asked to pay for it from November 1.
Cllr Mark Ward (SF) has urged the company to reverse the decision.
He says the charge is set to “impact on the most vulnerable in our society”, including elderly people with “Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.”
Cllr Ward said: “I had very worried constituents onto me during the week. This is a stealth tax on the most vulnerable. Blister-packing is designed to ensure patients take the correct tablets at the right time of the day.
“Constituents that contacted me are elderly and reliant on the state pension to get by. They simply cannot afford this charge.”
In response to Cllr Ward’s query, Lloyds said after a recent review of the MyMed blister service, they “could no longer continue to provide this service free of charge to all patients.”
“As a result, we have regretfully had to introduce a charge of €2.50 per weekly blister pack (€10 per four weeks supply) to provide the MyMed blister packing service.”
Cllr Ward said the decision is “a case of corporate greed”, noting “Llyods is part of the McKesson Group that had a turnover of €320 million in Ireland in 2018.
“Customers have become used to the packs. Some cannot afford the charge and might have to go back to the old days where they get their weekly medication in a bottle.”
