I propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 328 together.
My Department recognises that for certain patients, using monitored dosage systems or “blister packs” can be helpful, and they rely heavily on these products. For clarity, the cost of blister-packing medications has never been covered by the State. My Department officials are currently examining the issue of the appropriateness, or otherwise, of blister packs in certain circumstances, as a matter of priority. Engagement between the Department of Health, the HSE Primary Care Reimbursement Service, the Irish Pharmacy Union and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland on this matter is ongoing.
It remains open to pharmacies to charge patients, or not, for the use of blister packs as a private service, as many currently do, and has always been the case. 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.
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.
