Health Minister Stephen Donnelly confirmed that from January, HRT products will be free for women prescribed them by their doctors, following a €20m allocation in this week's health Budget. He emphasized the importance of making these services accessible, stating, 'I listened to a lot of people about this and universally what I heard back was make it available to everyone.' This reflects a commitment to women's health and accessibility in the health system.
Donnelly highlighted two key areas of funding in the health budget: 'One was that we would cover all costs but if we did that we would not be able to make it available to all women.' He further explained the need for enabling legislation or admnistrative actions to implement changes, underscoring the complexities involved in health policy management.
In discussing cancer care funding, Donnelly noted, 'One of the winners in the Budget was cancer care and it was getting a €33m package in the Budget.' He mentioned expansions of various cancer services, including the Free Bowelscreen program for aged 58-70, which signifies a strong investment in preventative health measures.
Regarding fertility treatments, he shared, 'The publicly-funded IVF scheme will be expanded to include sperm and egg donation, and couples who already had one child and had secondary infertility.' This highlights an important shift towards inclusivity in reproductive health services.
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