Roderic O'Gorman
Question:437. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Health for an update on the provision of additional funding and staff for PrEP services in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31525/26]
View answerThursday, 30 April 2026
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Written answers
Sexual health is a priority for the Department of Health. The Second National Sexual Health Strategy was launched in June 2025. The second NSHS retains the vision of the first Strategy, but has a wider remit, building on the many initiatives that were successful under its predecessor. The Strategy is supported by a Sexual Health Action Plan, to cover the first 3 and a half years of implementation.
One of the priorities of the new NSHS is to implement a Model of Care for sexual health services, focusing on prevention; diagnosis, treatment, information and surveillance for STIs and HIV, and on improving geographic equity. It is of vital importance that people at risk of HIV and living with HIV (PLHIV) are promptly linked to care, for prevention of onward transmission, for clinical benefit and for the prevention of adverse outcomes.
It is also vital that those at risk are encouraged to access regular testing and preventive programmes such as PrEP. These measures are key elements towards achieving UN and WHO aims of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe by 2030 and supporting wider national and international commitments. In terms of HIV, we must remember that undetectable is equal to untransmissible.
This Government is committed to fulfilling our Programme for Government and National Sexual Health Strategy commitments in delivering an HIV Action Plan and Models of Care and in improving access to PrEP.
Free PrEP medication is available to individuals who are likely to benefit from the intervention and for whom it is not contraindicated. There are currently 13 approved public PrEP services and 45 approved private or general practitioner (GP) PrEP providers; www2.hse.ie/conditions/hiv/where-to-get-prep/ .
In order to increase the number of PrEP providers, including GPs and other primary care providers, SHP developed a PrEP competency framework for new participants and a PrEP e-Learning programme which was launched on HSeLanD in Dec 2024. Since then, 122 healthcare providers have completed the PrEP e-Learning programme and 28 new GPs have been approved as PrEP providers.
User numbers are provided to the HSE Sexual Health Programme quarterly, to monitor PrEP activity, including data relating to new PrEP users. Since the PrEP programme was launched in 2019, there has been continued growth. 10,838 individuals (to end 2025) have commenced PrEP through the HSE PrEP programme. In 2025, PrEP was dispensed to over 7,400 individuals and 2,196 individuals accessed PrEP for the first time.
SHP is working with services to improve capacity and access to PrEP. This includes administrative efficiencies at service and national lev; updating the national PrEP guidelines to include the option for stable individuals to avail of the national free home STI testing service to reduce the number of clinic visits; reducing monitoring requirements in light of emerging data and experience of PrEP care delivery and inclusion of clinical guidance on circumstances under which people can attend their GP for PrEP care.
The HSE Sexual Health Programme (SHP) is also working to explore digital solutions to alleviate PrEP capacity challenges. The SHP clinical team are part of a Trinity College Dublin led research team awarded a Health Research Board grant under the Government of Ireland Evidence for Policy Call 2024, to develop and pilot a hybrid (online and face-to-face) PrEP pathway. The purpose of this pilot is to test a hybrid online-in-person PrEP model of care to support improved efficiency and accessibility without compromising care quality. The pilot commenced in 2025 in SJH, Dublin and SIVUH, Cork and is ongoing.
Funding for an additional 7 WTE was secured in Budget 2025; these posts commenced in Q3 2025. Both the 2025 and 2026 allocations included additional funding for PrEP drugs.
A number of commitments in the Programme for Government, National Sexual Health Strategy, 2025-2035 and National Sexual Health Action Plan, 2025-2028 commit to additional and ongoing measures to further increase capacity for PrEP and for other measures including wider access to testing, early diagnosis and wider supports for people living with HIV, in addition to awareness campaigns.
The HSE campaign, "You, Me and HIV", developed in collaboration with community representatives, carries the key message that early diagnosis and treatment allow people to live normal lives, avoid adverse health outcomes and prevent onward transmission; undetectable is equal to untransmissible.
The forthcoming HIV Action Plan will provide further detail and support for this important area of health care. Support for commitments that require additional funding will be a matter for the annual Estimates process preceding the Budget each year.
As additional detail on staff allocation and local service provision in 2026 are service matters, I have also asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.