Pharmacists have expressed their disappointment that the Government has not made vulnerable patients exempt from the medical card prescription levy.

Currently, all patients with a medical card pay a prescription levy of €2.50 per item, up to a maximum of €25 per family. The Government decided not to increase this fee in Budget 2015.

However, while this move was welcomed, the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) insisted that it ‘does not go far enough'. It said that vulnerable patients, such as homeless people, palliative care patients and people with intellectual disabilities should be exempt from the levy.

"The prescription charge is now five times higher than when it was first announced in 2010 so obviously we're glad it wasn't increased any further. However, it's retention shows, once again, a complete lack of understanding and empathy towards the medical needs of the most vulnerable in our society who should be exempt from this levy," commented IPU president, Kathy Maher.

She pointed out that most vulnerable patients have ‘complex medical needs and are on multiple medications' as part of their treatment. She said that in many cases, they cannot afford the €2.50 per item.

"What they need is support to continue to take their medicines, not a financial barrier to trying to stay well and out of hospital.

"Very few countries have prescription charges for people who cannot afford to pay for their medicines. There is evidence that charging disadvantaged patients for medicines leads to reductions in medicine use and an increase in hospital admissions," Ms Maher added.