FEMALES IN Ireland aged between 17 and 25 will be able to receive free contraception from their GPs from Wednesday.
The move was announced earlier this year, with President Michael D Higgins signing the legalisation into law last month.
As the Irish Examiner reports, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly was expected to launch the scheme at the Department of Health this week but it has since been confirmed that it will come into effect from Wednesday.
It will be up to individual GPs to sign up to the scheme. However, it is not expected that every doctor will do so, as this will depend on patient demographics at each practice, and the ability of doctors to take on extra work.
The department said: “It’s not all going to run smoothly from the beginning and there will be some teething issues, but the plan is to have this up and running on Wednesday."
The free contraception will see young women potentially save hundreds of euro a year.
Cots for the pill and similar repeat prescription contraceptives can range from €65 to €100 every six months, and the initial costs of long-acting reversible contraception, including consultation, purchase of the device, and fitting, typically range from €250-€320. If removal costs are included, this can rise to €340-€470.
The new scheme will cover the full cost of prescription contraception for females aged 17-25, including the cost of necessary consultations with medical professionals to discuss contraception options.
It will also include the fitting or removal of various types of long-acting reversible contraception, plus any necessary checks, as well as providing a range of contraceptive options including contraceptive injections, implants, IUS and IUDs (coils), the contraceptive patch and ring, and various forms of oral contraceptive pill, including emergency contraception.
See More: Contraception, HSE, Stephen Donnelly
