Duncan Smith
Ceist:2039. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of the provision of free contraceptives as a public health measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44123/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 8 September 2022
Ceisteanna (2039)
Freagraí scríofa
The Programme for Government, 2020 commits to providing free contraception for women, starting with the 17-25 age cohort. My Department has been working with partners, including the HSE, towards ensuring that the scheme will commence in September, 2022.
Funding of approximately €9m has been allocated for this in Budget 2022. The full year costs of the scheme have been estimated at €26m. Costings for wider age cohorts, under various scenarios, have been estimated in more detail in the Report of the Working Group on Access to Contraception, which was published in 2019 and is available on my Department's website.
- The scheme will be open to all 17-25 year-old women ordinarily resident in Ireland and will provide for:
- The cost of prescription contraception;
- The cost of consultations with medical professionals to discuss suitable contraception for individual patients and to enable prescription of same. Consultations will include both initial discussions of suitable contraception for each patient, and necessary check-ups to provide repeat prescriptions;
- The cost of fitting and/or removal of various types of long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs) plus any necessary checks, by medical professionals certified to fit/remove same;
- The cost of providing the wide range of contraceptive options currently available to GMS (medical) card holders, which will also be available through this scheme, including contraceptive injections, implants, IUS and IUDs (coils), the contraceptive patch and ring, and various forms of oral contraceptive pill, including emergency contraception.
- The cost of training and certifying additional medical professionals to fit and remove LARCs;
The legal framework for the scheme is provided by the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Act, 2022, which was enacted in July, 2022. It is envisaged that the Act will be commenced, and the scheme launched, once the Regulations setting the terms and conditions relating to the provision of services and fees, etc., are expected to be enacted later this week. It is envisaged that the scheme will go live next week (the week commencing 12 September 2022).
The design of citizen engagement information and publicity campaigns to support and promote the roll out of the scheme is currently being finalised by officials in the Department’s Press and Communications Team, the HSE’s Communications team and relevant subject matter experts in the Department and HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme. Digital information regarding the scheme and how to access it will be available through www.sexualwellbeing.ie shortly and contraceptive choices materials will be placed in GP surgeries from later in September.