Medicines Schemes in Ireland

In Ireland, pharmacy prescriptions are paid for primarily through a system of government-subsidized schemes administered by the Health Service Executive (HSE) Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS), or by the individual paying the full cost privately. Therefore, most pharmacies have agreements/contracts with the HSE to provide services under the PCRS scheme. The PCRS pays pharmacists who provide public healthcare services.

PCRS Schemes:

• Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS)
• General Medical Service (GMS)
• Long Term illness (LTI) Scheme
• High-Tech Scheme
• Health Amendment Act
• Opioid Substitution Therapy
• Discretionary Hardship Scheme
• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Scheme
• Contraception Scheme

Primary Care Contractor Handbooks

Information and Administrative Arrangements for Pharmacists (Pharmacy Handbook): Primary Care Contractor Handbooks are available to provide an overview of the various schemes supported by the PCRS, information on administrative arrangements for payments, and general information relevant to Primary Care Contractors. Read the Handbook for Pharmacists.

Contractor Circulars

HSE PCRS regularly issues updates and circulars to their contractors with important information and changes to service arrangements. You can access them at the following link.

This Contractor Circulars section of the HSE's website holds all the important updates for pharmacists, who are encouraged to check this page regularly for updates relevant to their work and patients.

Further Information

Further information about the PCRS Schemes is provided below for ease of reference.

Drug Payment Scheme (DPS)

• Under the Drugs Payment Scheme, patients pay a maximum of €80 in a calendar month for approved medicines and appliances for use by themselves and their family in that month.
• People on the scheme will have a DPS Card.
• This scheme doesn’t warrant a specific prescription type.
• The scheme covers the person who applied, his or her spouse/partner, and children aged under 18 (or under 23 if in full-time education).
• A family member who has a physical or intellectual disability or an illness and is unable to fully maintain himself/herself can be included in the family expenditure regardless of age.

Note: There may be people who do not wish to be registered with the DPS scheme who present with a private prescription. They pay whatever the medication price is.

General Medical Service (GMS)/Medical Card

• This scheme is available for citizens who have a VALID MEDICAL CARD.
• This scheme sees the State subsidies medications for certain demographics.
• Prescription costs are greatly reduced.
• A nominal charge is levied per item up to a monthly max per household.
• €1.50 for each item up to a maximum of €15 per month per person or family.
• For people aged over 70, the prescription charge will be €1 per item, up to a maximum of €10 per month per person or family.
• A family is defined as you, your spouse or partner, any children under 16 years of age and any children between 16 and 21 years of age who are in full time education.

Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme

• Under the LTI Scheme you can get some medicines and approved appliances for free from your pharmacy, if you have one of the LTI covered conditions.
• There are 16 conditions covered under the LTI e.g. Epilepsy.
• Approved members will have an LTI Card and an LTI Prescription book.
• More information about the LTI scheme is available here.

High-Tech Scheme

• This scheme is for very expensive medicines/ medical products.
• Certain products must be ordered via a special 'High-Tech Hub' run by the HSE.
• High-Tech therapy must also be initiated and overseen by a hospital consultant.
• The consultant must issue a special High-Tech Prescription to the patient. This prescription must include a review of therapy date, usually six months later with the consultant.
• The patient will be asked to nominate a community pharmacy where they propose to obtain the prescribed High Tech Medication. In order to register newly initiated patients on High Tech Medicines a copy of the prescription must be sent to the High Tech Co-ordination Unit. If a patient is changing pharmacy they must sign the Change of Nominated Pharmacy form and the form should be forwarded to the High Tech Co-ordination Unit

Health Amendment Act (HAA)

• There are special arrangements in the health service for people who contracted Hepatitis C from Human Immunoglobulin-Anti-D or another blood product or blood transfusion in Ireland, during a particular period.
• These individuals are entitled to free medicines, regardless of their income.
• They have a Health Amendment Act Card (HAA Card).

Opioid Substitution Therapy

• Scheme for opioid dependent patients (Methadone & Buprenorphine).
• These patients will have a VALID drug treatment card with a photo - you must satisfy yourself that the patient is the person on the card.
• They will also present with specific prescriptions pertaining to this programme.
• Pharmacists providing such services should also consult the HSE Clinical Guidelines for Opioid Substitution Treatment, which provide clinical advice in this area.

Discretionary Hardship Scheme

• If a patient has a medical card and are prescribed an item that is not on the PCRS list you can apply for it to be paid for by the Discretionary Hardship Scheme.
• If the hardship scheme does not cover the cost of the medicine the patient will have to pay for it.
• If the hardship scheme does cover the cost of the medicine, there is a nominal charge of €1.50 per item.

Hormone Replacement Therapy(HRT) Scheme

• Since 1 June 2025, if a patient is prescribed HRT, they can get it free from a pharmacy participating in the free HRT scheme if they are registered for the Drugs Payment Scheme, or have a medical card.

Contraception Scheme

• Patients can get contraception with a prescription from most pharmacies in Ireland. They do not need a prescription for emergency contraception or condoms. Women aged 17 to 35, and those with a medical card, are eligible for free contraception, including emergency contraception.