Medicinal Products
Seanad Éireann — 2023-06-01
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Martin Heydon (FG), Kildare South

I thank Senator Chambers for raising this important issue relating to women's health and for her ongoing work in respect of it. The Minister for Health sends his apologies that he cannot be here.
Other important initiatives include the development of six specialist menopause clinics to treat complex symptoms of menopause. Five of the six planned clinics are currently open and operational at hospital sites around Ireland. There are three clinics in Dublin, one in Galway and one in Tipperary. The sixth clinic, located in Cork, is due to open later in 2023. These clinics treat complex symptoms of menopause.
In relation to the costs for HRT medications within the public system mentioned by the Senator, the onus is on a company to apply to the HSE to have a medicine added to the reimbursement list under the community drug schemes. Many HRT products are currently reimbursable by the HSE on both the general medical services, GMS, scheme and the drug payment scheme, DPS. Medical card holders can access these reimbursable HRT products, subject to payment of the statutory prescription charge. The DPS ensures that no individual or family pays more than €80 per month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines, which includes the reimbursement of HRT products. The DPS threshold was reduced to €80 per month on 1 March 2022 in recognition of the rising cost of living. The DPS is not means-tested and is available to anyone ordinarily resident in Ireland.
While there are no plans to make the provision of HRT products free of charge, the removal of VAT from non-oral forms of HRT medication since 1 January 2023 has also improved access to HRT treatment for women across the country.
Finally, neither the Minister for Health nor the HSE has any role in the setting of prices for medicines dispensed privately in pharmacies. These are commercial matters for the pharmacies themselves.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2023-06-01/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:51:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2023-06-01