Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 May 2026
251. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health if she will consider purchasing from source, medication for people who are subsequently reimbursed by the State for the medication when they buy it in any case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38052/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State is committed to providing timely access to new and innovative medicines to benefit patients in Ireland.
Budgets 2021-2025 allocated an additional €158 million for new drugs, which has facilitated the introduction of 263 new medicines, to date. Budget 2026 allocated €30 million of funding available for new drugs to be allocated from the overall additional €217 million in funding allocated for medicines.
The Year 1 cost of a new drug comes from the allocation for new medicines, but it should be noted that once these medicines are approved for reimbursement the full cost of providing them can reach multiples of this initial cost as their uptake increases.
A record almost €3.3 billion, representing 13.5% of health expenditure, was spent on medicines in 2024. This unprecedented level of investment - which has almost doubled in the last ten years - is supporting patients through the availability of the latest and wide range of medicines.
Ireland is among the highest spenders on health across the EU (OECD), with the third-highest rate of State coverage of pharmaceutical expenditure in Europe.
Individuals and families in Ireland may be entitled to the following schemes:
• General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme (medical card), entitles eligible persons to free GP visits, approved prescription medicines and public hospital care. Eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE, in accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970 (as amended). In certain circumstances the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds the income guidelines, where he or she faces difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from illness.
• In circumstances where an applicant is still over the income limit for a medical card, they are then assessed for a GP visit card, which entitles the applicant to GP visits without charge.
• Under the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS), no individual or family pays more than €80 a month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The DPS is not means tested and is available to anyone ordinarily resident in Ireland.
• Under the Long-Term Illness (LTI) Scheme, patients receive drugs, medicines, and medical and surgical appliances directly related to the treatment of their illness, free of charge. Further information, including the list of conditions covered under the scheme, can be found at: www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/lti/about/
The reimbursement list is the full list of all the medicines or aids that are provided under the GMS or DPS schemes. Further details can be found here: healthservice.hse.ie/staff/information-healthcare-workers/pcrs/pcrs/
Pharmaceutical companies are required to submit formal applications to the HSE if they wish their medicines to be added to the list of reimbursable items / funded via hospitals and must continue to engage with the HSE throughout the process. There are formal processes which govern these applications. The HSE is the statutory decision maker for the pricing and reimbursement of new medicines under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. The HSE considers the criteria set out in the Act when considering investment decisions around new medicines. The Minister for Health has no role in decisions on pricing and reimbursement.
