A bill granting community pharmacists in Ireland the power to prescribe contraceptive medicines has been signed into law.
The Act, passed on July 21, allows women eligible for the Free Contraception Scheme (FCS) to have their contraception prescribed by a pharmacist following an initial prescription by a GP.
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According to the Department of Health (DH), patients that do not qualify for the free service, such as women aged 36 and over, will be able to access it “subject to a locally determined fee”.
The DH added that “clinical protocols will be finalised under subsequent secondary legislation to underpin the service”.
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The protocols propose that women aged 17 to 39 will need to return to their GP at least once every five years, while those aged 40 and over will have to attend their GP once every two years, it said.
And it added that “patients deemed high risk and those for whom long-acting reversible contraception is the best choice” are set to ”remain under the care of their GP”.
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It comes after a pharmacist in Ireland was awarded €50,000 in compensation after being “discriminatorily dismissed” from her role as a supervising pharmacist within weeks of announcing her pregnancy.
And it follows Lloyds Online Doctor expanding its weight loss service to Ireland in April amid a shortage of GPs.
