by Sabrina Sweeney
For the thousands of women depending on the promise of free hormone replacement therapy (HRT) from this month, the government’s decision to delay the scheme is a slap in the face and a disappointing start to the New Year.
The October budget allocated €20 million to make HRT products free from January 2025. But the delay, blamed on a lack of infrastructure and clear guidelines and concerns around equitable access, is a stark reminder of how women’s health issues are often neglected and remain an afterthought in national healthcare policy.
Local groups, such as the Donegal Women’s Health Network, have long advocated for better access to menopause care, but the government’s failure to act has left many women in the county feeling ignored, yet again.
HRT is a vital treatment for so many women going through menopause, helping with common symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings and sleep disturbances to name a few. The wide-ranging symptoms can significantly impair a woman’s quality of life, affecting mental health, social relationships and productivity at work.
HRT can also reduce the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease in later life.
Yet, despite its availability and proven efficacy, many Irish women still find it out of reach due to the high cost, which can be anything from a few hundred to more than a thousand euro per year.
It’s not hard to see how this can be prohibitive for many, particularly those on lower or fixed incomes. For women who are unemployed, self-employed, or living in many of the rural areas in Donegal with limited access to healthcare, the cost becomes an even more significant barrier.
The promise of free HRT was an opportunity to level the playing field, ensuring that all women, regardless of income, could access the treatment they need. But its repeated delay continues to leave women to bear the financial and emotional burden of menopause without adequate support. It also underscores a broader issue – the persistent gender health gap in Ireland.
Women’s health has long been neglected in medical research, funding and policy. Conditions like menopause and endometriosis often go underfunded and treatments for these conditions are frequently inaccessible to the women who need them most.
Menopause, for example, is still widely under-researched, and there are far fewer treatment options available compared to other age-related health conditions, such as prostate care for men. Such systemic neglect perpetuates a cycle where women’s needs are relegated to the sidelines.
The government’s decision to delay free HRT feeds into this overall cycle; it’s not just a question of access to treatment but of the very value we place on the health and well being of half the population.
It’s also frustrating for all of us who hoped this step would mark a significant shift in how women’s health and priorities are addressed in Ireland. Just last year, the government introduced free contraception for women, a move hailed as a step towards greater gender equality in healthcare. But the contrast with HRT is stark. While free contraception addresses a critical issue, it also highlights the inconsistency in the approach to women’s health – particularly when it comes to conditions that are widely perceived as ‘age-related’ or ‘natural,’ like menopause.
Perhaps most damaging of all is the psychological toll on women that the delay to this scheme is taking. For too many, menopause is already a challenging time, with physical and emotional upheaval affecting daily life.
The lack of planning by the government to ensure the programme was ready on time sends the message that women’s health issues are secondary and that their well-being is not as urgent as other healthcare priorities.
Pharmacists have called the delay “disrespectful” and it will certainly compound the mental health challenges that many women face during menopause, potentially exacerbating feelings of isolation, anxiety, and depression.
Women deserve better. They deserve timely, affordable access to the healthcare they need, especially for conditions that affect them throughout their lives.
Free HRT is not just about medication – it’s about acknowledging the real, lived experiences of women and ensuring that their health is treated with the seriousness it deserves. It’s time all women’s health was prioritised with the urgency it requires.
Related posts:
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)