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Front line health services will be seriously damaged by the Minister for Health and Children’s decision to cut payments by 36 per cent to pharmacists for providing medicines and advice to patients on the community drugs schemes , according to the Irish Pharmacy Union [IPU], the representative body for 1,900 community pharmacists.

Families can now avail of a new government service whereby they can apply for Back to School Clothing Allowance applications forms by a simple text message.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has contacted the HSE regarding the centralised processing of medical cards and GP visit cards. In its response, the HSE have confirmed that its 2009 Service Plan will see these services being centrally processed at the Primary Care Reimbursement Services in Finglas. However, the response also stated that the HSE will not close any local offices that currently process medical card applications and will continue to provide information and assistance to clients about their entitlements. Nonetheless, this will involve a reassignment of existing human resources within the HSE.

A serious situation could have been fatal if it weren’t for the goodwill of ambulance personnel in Castlebar. The overstretched service meant that a seriously sick person was left to wait almost half an hour for an ambulance despite falling ill only a short distance from the ambulance headquarters in Castlebar last Friday. If it weren’t for an off duty paramedic, who came to the rescue of the sick person by starting his shift early, the fate of the man could have been a lot worse. However while the man waited for an ambulance to arrive his condition deteriorated rapidly.

Nearly €16 million has been paid out to people in Mayo under the Nursing Home Repayment Scheme. The average payment amounted to €20,000 with 766 claims paid. At present there are 62 claims still being processed in Mayo while 857 offers of payment have been made. Of the 1,264 claims made in Mayo 345 were rejected.

The Health Service Executive this week reminded everyone at risk of annual influenza this winter to ‘Get the vaccine, not the flu’. This year, because of the swine flu pandemic there will be two vaccination campaigns, firstly one for the seasonal flu and later on, one for the swine flu vaccine.

The HSE has confirmed it made “a number” of appointments for a non-existent doctor at the Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar over the last seven months but claimed this was just to keep a consultant list ongoing until a replacement can be recruited.

The Health Service Executive West is urging those aged over 65 years and younger people with long term illnesses, such as asthma, heart problems, etc, to avail of the seasonal flu vaccine now.

The Health Service Executive spent over €7 million on renting premises in the HSE western region counties of Mayo, Roscommon and Galway in 2007 and 2008.

“A lovely young man who never came to the attention of the school authorities for the wrong reasons.”