The Government has said that patients who previously received blister packs free of charge will continue to do so. 

Blister packs are pre-organised packs that show patients what medicines they need to take and when. 

Typically, they are given to vulnerable patients who need extra support, such as those with dementia or addiction issues. 

Today, the Department of Health announced it had reached an agreement with the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) on dispensing services. 

It includes a provision that people with a medical card who need a blister, or recieved for for free before August 2025, will still be entitled to one for free. 

On The Claire Byrne Show, Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill described the agreement as “a little simpler” than the one they previously reached in June. 

“It was a source of disappointment to me - and I think to people generally who had concluded the agreement - that there was a reaction by some pharmacists who were purporting to now introduce a charge for blister packs where they hadn't before,” she said. 

“And they were aligning that change to the new agreement.” 

The Fine Gael TD said that some pharmacists previously erroneously charged taxpayers for dispensing blister packs. 

“Just for people to be aware, we have reached a number of settlements over the last number of years with pharmacists who were inappropriately claiming under that scheme,” she said. 

“If I can give you an example, charging the State for phase dispensing over seven days where they were only open for six days.” 

Minister Carroll MacNeill added that she took issue with the manner in which some pharmacists had portrayed the agreement. 

“And the real extraordinary thing is the dialogue was this was a cut by the Government or this was a fee cut,” she said. 

“We have to be really clear; this was a wrong use of funds and we have tightened it up and clarified it. 

“So that we can use that money, tens of millions of euros a year for other things, for the benefit of patients.” 

Blister Packs. Picture by: Alamy.com.

The Health Minister continued that the agreement will not mean the end of blister packs for those who need them. 

“We're going to give a medicines optimisation fee on a per patient basis so that pharmacists have a fee to look after that patient,” she said. 

“So, that the pharmacist will use their clinical judgment as to what best does that does that patient need? 

“Do they need weekly or daily dispensing? Do they need additional supports? One of those might be a blister pack.” 

Main image: Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Picture by: Newstalk.