Councillor calls for reduction in state viagra payments

A Clare County Councillor is calling on the HSE to reduce the amount of money it spends on viagra for medical card holders.

€6.3m euro was spent on the erectile dysfunction drug in 2010, an increase of €500,000 over the previous year.

Green Party Councillor Brian Meaney said that given the current economic climate, more curtailments should be put in place to ensure viagra is only administered in genuine cases, and that generic drugs should be favoured over branded versions.

He said a wealthy pensioner had demanded the drug from him during the election campaign.

"I knocked on the door of a house. An elderly gentleman came out, told me he was over 80 years of age and demanded his viagra, because this is an issue I had identified before," he said.