Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 February 2026
402. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if a disabled person who has a long-term illness (LTI) card that covers their medications and prescription charges, is entitled to have their medication provided in essential blister packs under the LTI card. [8908/26]
View answerThee Long-Term Illness (LTI) Scheme covers the cost of medicines and medical and surgical appliances for the treatment of certain specific long term conditions. The State does not fund monitored dosage systems (blister packs) under the LTI scheme.
Recently, as part of the Community Pharmacy Agreement 2025, changes were introduced to improve controls for phased dispensing. This will ensure that patients on high-risk medicines, such as anti-psychotics or opioids, are appropriately targeted with support.
It is important to clarify that phased dispensing and monitored dosage systems are not the same thing.
The State has supported phased dispensing for medical card holders since 1996 for patient safety reasons and will continue to do so. Community pharmacies receive additional fees for this service. Phased dispensing means that the patient must attend the pharmacy multiple times per month (for example, weekly, twice weekly, or in some cases every day) to receive smaller quantities of their medication.
The State has never funded blister packs. Therefore, there has been no removal of that service by the State. It remains a private service, and community pharmacies may decide to charge patients for providing this service.
However, the changes in phased dispensing fees have highlighted the broader use of blister packs. Internationally, the guidance is that blister packs should be a last resort with patients being supported by many other interventions. Nevertheless, I recognise that for certain patients, using them can be helpful. My Department officials are currently examining this issue as a matter of priority.
There are three groups of patients using blister packs. The first is those people who have always been paying for blister packs as a private service. The second group have been getting blister packs for free from their pharmacy. There should be no change for those two groups of patients.
The third group of patients are those where their pharmacy has been giving them blister packs for free but charging the State under phased dispensing. My Department officials and the HSE are investigating the details of this further.
The current pause on the planned changes to phased dispensing rules will facilitate community pharmacists to talk with their patients in an individualised manner, about the circumstances, specific to that patient.
Of course, it remains open to pharmacies to charge patients, or not, for the use of blister packs as a private service, as many currently do. It is important where a pharmacy charges a fee for any professional service, that they provide updated information to patients in line with the new Pricing Transparency Guidelines, which came into effect on 1st December 2025.
