Hundreds of thousands of women in Ireland will be entitled to free hormone replacement therapy (HRT) within a matter of weeks under plans that have just been rubber-stamped by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly.
HRT is a prescription medication used to alleviate symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, vaginal dryness, and reduced sex drive.
The treatment can come in patches, gels, tablets, and creams and replaces hormones that decrease during perimenopause and menopause.
Tanaiste Micheál Martin confirmed the news to EVOKE on September 4, saying there will be a "detailed announcement in respect of it in the coming week but free HRT is on the way."
Speaking about Minister Donnelly's plans, the Tanaiste continued "he has the funding and the estimates to do it, the detail will be fleshed out as to whether he can do it all at once or if it will have to be phased like contraception was for example.
"But it is part of a broader programme that Stephen Donnelly has embarked upon for the last two years in terms of women's health care and he has really focused on that more than any previous Minister in my view."
There are more than 500,000 women currently between the ages of 45 and 64 in Ireland, now eligible for the scheme which will see the HRT covered but not the doctor's prescription.
HRT varies between €30 and €70 per month, and up to now has only been given free to women who have a medical card.
*This article was originally published on Evoke.ie.
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