Overview
- After talks with the Department of Health and the HSE, the Irish Pharmacy Union agreed to delay introducing patient charges until a date in the first quarter of 2026.
- A planned introduction of fees from 1 January will not proceed, with pharmacists indicating any charges are now pushed to around springtime.
- Public and political pressure followed warnings that patients could face €20–€50 per month, particularly affecting older people and those with dementia.
- Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill welcomed the pause and said the IPU will engage with patients in a structured way over the next three months.
- The IPU said blister-pack supply has not been state-reimbursed and is a private service, though the packs are widely used to help people manage daily medications.