Budget 2025: Health
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) will be free at the point of dispensing from January and will include patches and other medicines.
This is just one of the health measures in Budget 2025 for women as well as initiatives for the provision of post-mastectomy products and the expansion of IVF funding eligibility.
In his speech to the Dáil on Tuesday, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, outlined some health provisions. He said health service workers are central to delivering positive results for patients.
“In 2025, the numbers working in our health service, not including disability services, will reach over one hundred and thirty thousand whole-time equivalents, an increase of 27% since 2019.”
Funding provided in Budget 2025 will enable enhanced provision of services including:
· youth mental health services
· counselling for the Traveller community
· suicide bereavement counselling
· Cyber Safe Kids initiative
· additional children and adolescent mental health services.
Sinn Féin’s health spokesperson Deputy David Cullinane said: “The Government talk about funding national strategies like cancer, cardiac, stroke and maternity but don’t say by how much. They talk about €30m of new funding for new drugs but fail to mention it is not new funding but reprofiling of existing funding through savings.”
He added: “Their budget lacks ambition, vision, energy and the new funding needed to tackle waiting lists, reduce the cost of health care and medicines and to invest in local community health services. This is more of the same in health which will deliver more of the same in outcomes.”
Meanwhile a pack of 20 cigarettes is to rise by €1, with a pro-rata increase on other tobacco products.
During his speech, Finance Minister Jack Chambers said this will bring the price of cigarettes in the most popular price category to €18.05 and supports public health policy to reduce smoking levels in Irish society.
He added: “I am introducing a domestic tax on e-cigarettes on public health grounds as there has been a significant rise in their use. The tax will apply to all e-liquids at a rate of 50c per ml of e-liquid. A typical disposable vape contains 2ml of e-liquid, and costs in the region of €8. This new tax will bring the price of such a product to €9.23 including VAT. Due to the operational and administrative challenges associated with this measure, it will not commence until the middle of next year and therefore will be subject to a commencement order.”
Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ lobby group Forest (Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco), described the decision as “brutal” and said law-abiding smokers were being “discriminated” against.
“Smoking is a legitimate habit. This brutal hike in the cost of cigarettes will drive more smokers to the black market and fuel illicit trade."