THE GOVERNMENT HAS agreed to continue funding phased dispensing and blister packs, provided a pharmacist deems the service to be clinically necessary for the patient.

A decision to withdraw State funding from January for the services provided by pharmacies was delayed following backlash from politicians, patients and pharmacists.

Blister packs – or ‘monitored dosing systems’ – separate doses into bubbles, typically holding one day’s worth of medication in each, making it easier for people to know what they’ve taken.

The HSE said they can “support patients prescribed certain high-risk medications, who are at risk of medication misadventure when these medications are supplied in the typical monthly instalments”. 

Phased dispensing allows patients to pick up their medication daily or weekly, rather than in larger amounts for longer periods.

Up until 2026, medical card recipients were able to access both services free of charge from their pharmacy. However, the State initially chose not to intervene when new charges of up to €50 were to be brought in.

Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill sought to limit phased dispensing to a defined set of high-risk medicines and said the State “never agreed to fund Monitored Dosing System”. 

After pushback from pharmacists, who argued vulnerable patients may be negatively impacted by the fees, the State has agreed to fund a new system.

Under the Community Pharmacy Agreement, pharmacists will be able to provide the services free of charge to those “who genuinely need them”, a spokesperson from the Department of Health said today.

“If, after an assessment, a pharmacist determines, using their professional and clinical judgement, that a GMS (General Medical Services) patient requires a blister pack for clinical or patient safety reasons, it will be provided without charge,” they said.

Medical Card or GP Visit Card holders who were getting free phased dispensing or a blister pack in August 2025 will continue to receive those supports free of charge.

The government has also committed to a monthly payment of €32.50 from June 2026 onwards for other patients who clinically require their medicines to be dispensed more frequently, but are not entitled to a free service.

The Department said that pharmacies “are independent businesses and set the price for the services they provide”.

“As a result, prices may vary from pharmacy to pharmacy.”

The Irish Pharmacy Union has welcomed the move, saying it allows pharmacists to “use their expertise” to help vulnerable patients through “safe, effective and evidence-based use of medicines”.

“This marks a significant development for patients and for the wider health service. It puts in place a robust, structured support that will improve how medicines are managed in the community while building on the ongoing expansion of the role of pharmacists,” the union said in a statement today.

Patients who are not eligible for free support can ask their pharmacist about the fees.

Minister MacNeill said today that the new system will recognise “the vital role of community pharmacists, giving them greater flexibility to use their professional judgment”.