Today marks the first day of free contraception for women aged 17 to 25 years old.
At present, the Irish medical card covers most contraceptive prescriptions.
However those without a medical card can face large bills.
The new scheme will cover an initial consultation to discuss which contraceptive is best suited to the individual, the prescription and follow-up appointments.
Both short and long-term contraceptive options are available and to use the service.
A woman only has to show her PPS number to prove her eligibility.
Savings
The scheme could save women hundreds of euro, as it covers the cost of “end to end” contraceptive care.
It also covers the high costs associated with longer term contraceptives.
For example the removal and insertion of the bar and coil.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly says he wants to expand the scheme to 16 year olds and under 25s.
But gave no timeline as to when that will take place:
"So this measure we’re launching today in terms of full year cost is one of the most expensive measures we had in the health budget for last year."
"Really its about trying to progress an awful lot of really important healthcare measures on women’s healthcare but with a finite resource."
Free contraception scheme for 17-25 year olds will cover the cost of
💊GP visits
💊medicine - pill, coil bar etc
💊 insertion & removal of long term forms of contraception@DonnellyStephen also says this is a starting point and wants to extend the scheme to 16yos and over 25s pic.twitter.com/pzmSdXbVeK— Mairéad Cleary (@maireadcleary7) September 14, 2022
Not All GPs
However, not all GPs will be offering the free service and health authorities are advising those interested to check with their local doctor and the Citizen’s Information Website for more information.
People are already beginning to advocate for the extension of the age bracket, to those under 17 and over 25.
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First Steps
In a press release yesterday, the National Women’s Council said;
“Some women are sexually active before the age of 17, and long after the age of 25."
"So it’s crucial that Government follows this excellent first step up with a widening of the age bracket in the budget at the end of the month”
Health practitioners believe the age extension may not be practical until the scheme is fully established but welcome the move to improve sexual health in Ireland.
