GP said ‘withdrawal’ of pain relief patches due to cost
DOZENS of people in County Wexford are being denied a very effective pain-killing medication because the HSE does not want to pay for it, according to a local doctor.
‘It’s purely down to money,’ said Kilmuckridge-based GP Dr Val Lawlor.
Officially the HSE says the medication Versatis has not been withdrawn, however, since last September a second layer of approval has been in place for GPs who want to continue prescribe it beyond three months.
However, Dr Lawlor says that 90 per cent of the people who appeal decisions to stop using the pain relief patches are turned down and, in his opinion, it has nothing to do with whether or not they need them to treat their medical conditions.
‘People are missing it, there’s no doubt it’s a very effective treatment,’ said Dr Lawlor, who went on the Joe Duffy Show on Thursday to complain about the HSE action.
He said the response to the show had surprised everyone, with many callers complaining about the non-availability of Versatis.
‘The last patient I had in on Friday was asking for it, he didn’t know it was no longer available,’ Dr Lawlor told this newspaper.
He said some 20,000 people in Ireland had been using Veratis, which cost around €120 a box.
And he dismissed suggestions that many people using Versatis long-lerm were using it to treat psychosomatic conditions.
‘You can’t have 20,000 people imagining their symptoms,’ he said.
Despite the furore, the Health Service Executive insists there has been no withdrawal of cover for Versatis (Lidocaine) for people with a medical card or the Drug Payments Scheme.
HSE Director General Tony O’Brien last week told the Oireachtas Health Committee that since last September, there had been a second level of approval introduced for GPs who wish to continue prescribing the drug after three months.
Mr O’Brien said that the change was introduced due to the drug being inappropriately prescribed by condition and duration. He said GPs were notified that they had to register new patients online if they wished to seek approval from the HSE’s Medicines Management Programme to prescribe the drug.
Continued prescribing after three months has also to be approved.
Mr O’Brien, who did not have figures on the number of refusals for continued prescribing by the Medicines Management Programme, said the change was introduced due to the drug being inappropriately prescribed by condition and duration. A number of committee members asked if GPs were aware of the changes as this did not appear to be the system operating on the ground. Minister for Health Simon Harris said that there was a need for clarity about the system.