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HEALTH MINISTER JENNIFER Carroll MacNeill said she has met with the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) in an attempt to resolve the delay in rolling out a national plan to make Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) free to all women.
As part of Budget 2025, outgoing health minister Stephen Donnelly announced that €20 million was being made available from January for the provision of state-funded HRT products.
The medicine-based treatment, which is used to relieve symptoms of menopause and perimenopause, is free for holders of medical cards, but otherwise can cost in the region of €30 to €70 a month.
Under the new scheme, the products would be free of charge, but the Department confirmed that women who have a prescription from their doctor would still have to pay for their GP visit and dispensing fee to the pharmacist.
However, there has been a delay in rolling out the measure nationwide. Women are continuing to pay for HRT products, with the IPU previously saying there had been a lack of communication from the Department about how the scheme would be implemented.
Speaking in Dún Laoghaire today, Carroll MacNeill said there was a perception it would be “free entirely” and that the Government would cover the dispensing fee, but this is not the case.
She said women are paying around €60 for HRT, of which €40 is the cost of the medication and around €20 is the fee that pharmacists charge for dispensing, but it varies among different pharmacies.
“What Stephen Donnelly did in the budget last year was secure €20 million to pay for the product. That would have paid for the €40, but not to cover the dispensing fee.
“In that instance, and that was to be implemented since 1 January 1, so (women) should have been paying €20 since the beginning of January.
“What’s going on is that there was a lack of the … Stephen Donnelly was very clear that the money was for the medication – and I’ve gone back and I’ve checked the statements and checked the press statements, and it was for the medication.
“I think more broadly there was a perception that it was free entirely, that it was going to cover the dispensing fee, and the way that he did it, it was a new way of doing it.
“It was an effort to begin to do something, but there wasn’t agreement with the pharmacist that they would dispense it, and so it wasn’t implemented, even though it has been available to be implemented since the beginning of January.”
Carroll MacNeill said she met with the Irish Pharmacy Union on 11 February and had “a good discussion” with them about the rollout of the scheme.
“They have broader priorities generally, around reversing some of spending cuts, increasing fees generally. There’s a body of work to do that and I absolutely recognise that.”
The Fine Gael minister said she wants to see pharmacies doing a “great deal more” and expanding their role in healthcare, including prescribing for common conditions.
“I think there’s quite a huge opportunity to do that. But this has been an unusual engagement, because it’s something new that the state hasn’t done that before, where they’ve paid for the medication, but not the dispensing fee,” she said.
Most women have said to me that they would be happy to pay the dispensing fee.
“I recognise that pharmacists have an expertise and that they bring that expertise to advising women, to managing the medication, and so what I’m trying to do is find a space in the middle where I can do something that recognises pharmacists’ work, and also maintain my budget discipline within the Department of Health.”
She also said there should be more transparency around the breakdown of the costs, including dispensing fees charged by pharmacists.
With reporting from Press Association
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How to you go paperless and avoid electronic stuff at the same time?
Karl shoots and scores
I often want to go a day without electronics but the urge to Google something check Facebook or even check the Journal always prevails!
Some good advice there Ciara.
Been struggling to ease off the electronic stuff for the last 2 weeks.
Had no idea of the hold this stuff has over me.
Saying that, I read this on the journal!!
Sounds great…………… in theory!
I destroyed a smart phone by accident about a month ago and I’ve gone back to an antique phone, no apps or internet. It’s been bliss since.
I particularly appreciate the advice to drop multi-tasking as I’ve long felt we were being sold a pup with that particular piece of corporate BS!
Not good for thejournal.ie to be suggesting going electronics-free days!!
Here’s some additional tips for a carefree happy and less stressful life.
1. Stop paying your rent or mortgage – you’ll be amazed at how much money you can save
2. Cancel that pesky direct debit for the iPhone or mobile bill , you’ll easily save enough in 3 months to be able to afford that 100 euro property charge you keep putting off
3. Don’t go into work , it’s full of distractions and annoying people that makes your day more stressful
4. Be sure to leave only your mobile number with employers and banks who may want to call you and interrupt your more harmonious life
I like the sarcasm. That said there’s actually a strong philosophy being developed which urges people to minimise their wanton consumerism, their excessive borrowing and become more independent to enjoy the best the modern world has to offer without being a slave to the rat race….
Gave up using the Internet and mobile phones a week ago, so far so good.
How did you read this and post that then? Share your secret please!
They’re obviously using the paper edition of TheJournal ;-) http://jrnl.ie/400860
We adore chaos because we love to produce order.
Is this not a bit contradictory? Switch off yoir email notifications and then receive your bills by email?
Bills don’t HAVE to be paid straight away, you usually have a week or so to sort them out. Turn off the email notifications, check email once a day and make a note (diary or otherwise) to pay when due.
BOOM!
Had to laugh at tip 6. Sounds a bit harsh Ciara!
Shes just too nice to say DUMP LOOOOOOSERRRRRRRRRRRRRS :)
Shes right…
Was nodding “sensible, sensible..” until I got to this one. It is indeed a euphemism for “dump losers” and is depressingly common advice in so many articles that it’s become very acceptable. It’s even seen as healthy, being called a friend detox and other names.
It’s depressing, and a bit appalling. As far as I know, I’d have thought having friends was good for you and you never know when your positive buddies might feck off and the sad loser might be there for you when you need them.
That’s not to say frenetic social activity is good for us or that it isn’t useful to take a step back and avoid getting sucked into other people’s drama. And by “friends” I mean people you actually know, not “friends” in the facebook sense.
im currently in the process of scanning all my personal files and WinZip’ing them with a password into a gmx mail account, each one stashed in its own folder category ie medical, banking, receipts and so on, by scanning and emailing them to myself I’ve managed to remove about 20 manilla folders each 4 inches thick, the joy of tearing up my files afterwards is wonderfully therapeutic. try it
I am s Conlon by marriage . They are very controlling people. I don’t have a voice I’n my home.
have your say