*Donna McGettigan TD (SF) gets her blood checked by nurse Claire McInerney. Photograph: Eamon Ward.
BACKLASH from politicians including a Clare TD has resulted in the Government delaying its decision to withdraw funding from January for medication blister packs.
Up until now the blister packs have been issued free of charge. The plans to withdraw funding according to contributions in the Dáil would have left the elderly and those with dementia having to pay between €20 to €50 a month equating at €240 to €600 per annum for the blister pack.
Agreement was reached between the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), the Department of Health and the HSE to pause the introduction of the charges until a later date in the first quarter of 2026. The IPU said it was important to clarify that the supply of blister packs was not reimbursed by the State and has been a private service with proportionate fees set by individual pharmacies.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (FG) welcomed the outcome of the engagement, and said the IPU will have more time to engage with patients in a “structured and individualised way over the next three months”.
Clare TD, Donna McGettigan (SF) had been among those to criticise plans to withdraw funding labelling it as a “scrooge-like” decision in advance of Christmas and said it was “tone-deaf”.
She stated, “For thousands of people in Ireland, blister packs are a lifeline. They are not a luxury. People rely on them every day – older people managing multiple medications, people living with dementia or Alzheimer’s, people with disabilities, mobility issues, brain injuries, or mental health challenges. For many, blister packs are what allow them to live independently and safely in their own homes. I have heard stories from across the county in recent days. People who have relied on blister packs now feel abandoned. Families caring for loved ones are facing new costs which they cannot afford, at the most expensive time of year, in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis”.
Deputy McGettigan commented, “The government found billions for developers, banks and landlords in the recent budget – but now when it comes to older people, people with dementia, and people with disabilities, the approach suddenly becomes penny-pinching. The contrast could not be starker. This is a political choice, not a financial necessity. It is not right. It is not fair. And it needs to be stopped”.
