Pharmacists claimed today that making more medicines available without prescription will save the Government money and improve health outcomes for patients.
In its pre-Budget submission, the Irish Pharmacists Union said that a bigger range of drugs should be dispensed by pharmacists.
A study in the UK has shown that GP-treated ailments that could have been self-treated cost the National Health Service there £2bn (€2.5bn) every year.
The IPU says this shows the type of savings that could be generated in Ireland if we moved more towards a pharmacy-based system, rather than an over-reliance on a GP-based system.
"More should be done to empower patients to take care of their own health in a safe, convenient and cost-effective manner," said IPU president Rory O'Donnell.
"This would entail making a much greater range of medicines available without prescription from pharmacists – particularly those medicines with long-established safety profiles, many of which are available without prescription in other jurisdictions."