Minister For Health Announces Expansion of the Free Contraception Scheme To Include Women Aged 32-35

Monday, 3 June 2024 00:05

By Tara Flanagan

From 1 July 2024, all women aged 17 to 35, inclusive, will be covered under the scheme.

The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly has announced the expansion of the Free Contraception Scheme to include women aged 32-35. This means that from 1 July 2024, all women aged 17 to 35, inclusive, will be covered under the scheme.

This extension has been supported by an additional €4 million in funding through the Women’s Health Fund under the Women’s Health Action Plan 2024-2025, with a total of €48 million now allocated to the scheme for 2024.

The scheme is open to women, girls and other people identifying as transgender or non-binary, who are ordinarily resident in Ireland and for whom prescription contraception is deemed suitable by their doctors.

Almost 2,400 GPs and 2,050 pharmacies are providing services under the scheme, with more than 189,000 women accessing the service in 2023.

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