Carlow Councillor sends open letter addressing free HRT for all women in Budget 2025
Carlow Councillor Ben Ward released the open letter on his social media platforms
Carlow Councillor Ben Ward has sent an open letter to government leaders including Stephen Donnelly, Paschal Donohoe, Martin Conway, Jack Chambers and Taoiseach Simon Harris addressing the campaign for free HRT for all women in the context of budget 2025.
The letter was released on the Councillor's X account and reads:
"Dear Representative,
I want to highlight an issue that should be addressed in the context of the upcoming Budget 2025 negotiations. This is the issue of medical costs associated with menopause for women.
Menopause is a stage of life that all women go through. However, the side effects and symptoms are very different for every woman. Some require access to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) which eases the common side effects of mood changes, hot flushes, sleeping difficulty, etc.
Currently HRT is free for medical card users but not for all women. I believe that the relatively small estimated cost (€10-20m) to provide free access to HRT for all women experiencing menopause is not only a sensible approach but would also alleviate yet another inequality that women face within our healthcare system and society at large.
I want to acknowledge the progress that has been made by the government so far on this issue. The reduction to 0% VAT on HRT is a very welcome stepping stone alongside the opening of dedicated menopause clinics across the
country. The next step is to give all women free access to HRT services.
Currently these prescriptions cost between €30-€70 per month which is a huge cost for women.
If we are serious about women's healthcare and creating an equal society this is a proposal that should be seriously considered for Budget 2025.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind Regards,
Cllr. Ben Ward."
You can see the full post by the councillor through the link HERE or by following the post below the article.