Doctors have not received details of HRT scheme which was meant to start on January 1
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As frustration mounts over delays to the free HRT scheme, the Irish Medical Organisation has confirmed that doctors have not yet been given any details on the proposals.
The scheme was due to launch on New Year’s Day but the 'Irish Examiner' reported on Friday no launch date is now available.
Instead, the Department of Health could only pledge it will open “as soon as possible”.
Under the scheme, women would attend their GP for HRT (hormone replacement therapy) treatment and prescriptions as normal.
The products would be free but doctor’s fees and pharmacy fees were not covered.
A spokesman for the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said it has sought a meeting with the HSE on this. It wants to “discuss the operation of the scheme for free HRT medications”.
However, he added: “To date we have received no details or guidance in respect of the proposals which will require discussions.”
This echoes frustrations expressed by the Irish Pharmacy Union which raised the alarm about the delays with this newspaper.
It has written to its members with tips on how to share this development with their customers.
IPU president Tom Murray said the advice includes “how you can as empathetically as possible explain to ladies why their expectations of free HRT cannot be met”.
He predicted it could take several months before the scheme can be launched, saying there is no IT system to support it yet.
The delays mean women accessing HRT on prescription must continue paying for the products as they were doing up to now.
The pledge to cover this cost from January 1 was made in Budget 2025 as one of the new measures for women’s healthcare costed overall at €32m in the estimates.
Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane described the delays as “extremely disappointing and disrespectful to women”.
He said: “I and others raised concerns about the ability of the Minister to deliver free HRT on time when the legislation was being debated.
Social Democrats TD Sinéad Gibney said the delay is “an insult to women”.
It now appears, she said, the previous Government “overpromised and underdelivered” on this issue.
“This is a slap in the face for the thousands of women on HRT who had been expecting to see a reduction in their medical expenses from the start of 2025,” she said.
She called for an explanation adding:
Callers to RTÉ’s Liveline show shared their frustration at the delays.
A number of women described how they had visited pharmacies or, in one case, sent a relative to collect their HRT products. They were met with confusion and disappointment.
One woman said bluntly: “I’m not happy with how this has panned out.”
She said no excuses including the election being held since the announcement could be accepted.
Another telephoned the Department of Health and was told she was not the first to contact it directly on this.
Many of the women said they spend at least €50 monthly on HRT products.