Department of Health 'must explain HRT rollout delay' 

Both the Irish Pharmacy Union and the Irish Medical Organisation said their members have no information about the scheme, even though it is GPs and pharmacists who are expected to administer it.

The Department of Health must explain what is delaying the rollout of free HRT products, the National Women’s Council of Ireland has said.

A pledge in Budget 2025 to offer free HRT from January will now only happen “as soon as possible” instead, the Irish Examiner revealed on Friday.

Both the Irish Pharmacy Union and the Irish Medical Organisation said their members have no information about the scheme, even though it is GPs and pharmacists who are expected to administer it.

The NWCI had welcomed the announcement in October as "a game-changer for women”.

However, NWCI director Orla O’ Connor said the council is very disappointed to learn it is now delayed — with no new launch date yet confirmed.

“There needs to be an explanation from the Department of Health as to the nature of the delay and when will it be provided free as announced in the Budget,” she said.

“This needs to be a real priority for the new government. And actually the department just needs to give an explanation as to why the systems aren’t in place for the rollout in January.” 

Anger

The council is already hearing from frustrated women who had expected to fill their prescriptions for free from last week.

“There is a lot of women who are contacting the National Women’s Council who want to know when will they be able to avail of this, we know how important this is,” she said.

She said many women had been in contact with TDs and senators in the run-up to Budget 2025, seeking financial assistance with menopause.

“We absolutely welcomed it because it’s a really important measure that Minister Donnelly announced but we need to see the implementation. And we need to see it as quickly as possible,” she urged.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

Annual costs for HRT can range from as little as €18 up to to €1,224 depending on the products needed, according to the Irish Community of Pharmacists group.

Women who contacted Newstalk’s Lunchtime Live on Tuesday spoke of how disappointed they are at the delays.

Linda said she uses three products costing up to €60 a month in total. She was critical of how the scheme will still require women to pay pharmacy dispensing fees and GP fees.