David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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152. To ask the Minister for Health the number of pharmacists participating in the free HRT scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24146/25]

Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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159. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the HRT scheme was delayed; when it will open; and if people will be reimbursed for costs associated with the delay of Government to open the scheme. [24127/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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216. To ask the Minister for Health when free HRT will be made available and if it will be backdated. [24161/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 152, 159 and 216 together.

I recently announced that from the 1^st June 2025, the provision of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) products for the treatment of the symptoms of menopause will be provided free to women at the point of dispensing. The implementation of this measure will now include a dispensing fee for pharmacists. This is step forward from the Budget 2025 announcement which only covered the medication costs. This fee level aligns with the highest paid under the community drug schemes.

HRT products are currently available, where prescribed, to General Medical Services (GMS) patients with a medical card and also through the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS) for patients who reach the threshold without a medical card. This new HRT measure is targeted at assisting women who do not have access to a medical card or whose HRT costs fall below the current DPS threshold of €80 per month.

My Department and the Health Service Executive (HSE) have engaged extensively with the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) in relation to the practical roll-out of this measure. In addition to several meetings at official level, I met with the IPU on two separate occasions. At the first meeting we discussed my ambitions for extending the scope of community pharmacists and the implementation of the Budget 2025 HRT measure. The second meeting focused on the practical roll-out of the HRT measure.

I regret that the implementation of this measure could not be agreed with the IPU, despite engagement over many months. This weekend, I spoke at the IPU’s conference. I told them that I value the contributions pharmacists make to women’s health and want to get this HRT provision right. This is why I have departed substantially from the original position on HRT dispensing fees.

But I must also do so in a way that ensures sustainability of State expenditure, clarity of expectations and consistency with our overall health budget planning. I want to see a scenario where there is reasonable equity of access from 1st June.

When operational, this measure will cover any HRT medications and products which are reimbursable by the HSE, which have been prescribed for the purposes of alleviating the symptoms of menopause. Reimbursement support will commence from the 1^st June 2025. The measure as planned will now involve no costs for the prescribed HRT product at the point of dispensing in participating pharmacies.

Pharmacies have until the 1st of June 2025 to sign up for reimbursement support under this new initiative. The HSE are developing a pharmacy finder which will be published on their website, making it easy for women to find participating pharmacies near them. It is also important to note that pharmacies that do not sign up to this measure will continue to provide access to HRT products for women who are eligible under the GMS and DPS.