Welcome to 2011 and non prescribed emergency contraception becoming a reality.
The reaction to the announcement that Boots are to dispense emergency contraception to women has been positive so far. Using a dispensing protocol which has been in place for other medications since last summer, Boots pharmacists will be able to meet with clients in a private room for a full consultation and the medication will be dispensed.
This service has already been available to Boots customers in the UK and Northern Ireland for the fee of £24.99. In Ireland the fee from Wednesday will be €45. This will be cheaper than attending a doctor and then attending a local pharmacist to get the prescription filled. It will also save on the time involved and for some travelling to find a sympathetic service. Last year a woman in Tralee reported that a GP in Tralee refused to prescribe the medication to her.
Choice Ireland and the Irish Family Planning Association have both welcomed the announcement by Boots. The Irish College of General Practitioners have raised concerns saying that continuity of care may be affected [loss of business also one assumes]. The Irish Medicines Board confirmed last night that the medication can be dispensed by a pharmacist which makes one wonder why others had not done sone before now. I’m also seeking clarification on whether the service will be available to medical card holders.
Anthea McTeirnan
Croí na Duibhlinn
Aoife Barry
Aoife McLysaght
Arlene Hunt
Attracta McCarthy-McKenna
clairehennessy
Ann Cronin
Amanda Brown
Eleanor Fitzsimons
Edel Coffey
Anna Carey
Lauren Murphy
Jennie Ridyard
Jude Leavy
Hazel Katherine Larkin
Léan Ní Chuilleanáin
Leigh
Lisa McInerney
Laura Slattery
Maman Poulet
Megan McGurk
Clare Kleinedler
Molly
Rosita Boland
Catherine Crichton
Sinéad Gleeson
sarahefranklin
siobhandowling
Susan Daly
theantiroom
Nuala Ní Chonchúir
Great news. Exciting times, hey.
(And I mean that sincerely).
This is great news for Irish women and I’m thrilled that Boots have undertaken this undoubtedly controversial step towards better family planning care.
In relation to the authors comment that GPs are worried about loss of earnings, my impression is that GPs would be concerned about the lack of counselling and follow-up care given to a women seeking EC, ie STD advise and investigation, consideration given to use of contraception on an ongoing basis, record keeping of use of this service and communication with primary care team. The issue here encompasses more than just the ECP, however this is definitiely a step forwards for all women.
I wonder why it has to be so expensive though, I’m sure many women will find that cost hard to bear.
Setting aside the cost – Most GP’s are not open on Sunday and Saturday or after 5pm when many women may need advice and to access an emergency contraceptive service. More and more GPs are going appointment only too which can prevent women accessing the service when they need it.
I know many women in Ireland have a history of not attending their GP for contraceptive issues and accessing another service instead – well woman or IFPA for example, this probably is less so now because of the huge numbers of women working in general practice. But I do think that on a matter where emergency contraception is involved women may appreciate not going to their regular GP even if they were able to access them when they needed the service.
The cost of accessing medical advice does prevent many women developing a trusting relationship with their doctor.
Working in community settings I am struck by the fact that women who don’t have medical cards or can’t get them put off going to the Doctor due to the cost. As a former card holder I want to stress that I am not saying that those with cards over use the service but I do think that primary care is something that women on low incomes won’t experience because they can’t afford it and children and other expenses come first.
Primary Care Centres are still in their infancy, consultant and hospital led care still rules and the involvement of pharmacy services in the delivery of services such as emergency contraception can only help in ensuring that women get help when they need it. The fact that many pay for health services on the treble (tax/fees/insurance premiums) does not seem to make the electorate overly angry or concerned either.
Some very interesting and valid points here Suzy…I wrote about a similar topic when ‘up North’ for the Observer about the abortion pill, which women were accessing online rather than going to their GPs earlier for advice, fear of being judged and lack of choice ultimately led to more difficult decisions later on. The two-tiered health system you mention is also a very real pressing issue for people (money issues, etc.) as well as services on offer. Totally unrelated to contraception but I was in the Mater last week to have a mole looked at and I’m on a medical card at the mo. I was told that there was no ‘mole mate’ scanning machine “in the whole of Ireland” for public health, just for private health patients. Incredible stuff. As regards contraception, my NI or UK mates are astounded that it’s not ‘free’ regardless of what health tier you’re sitting on. €45 is cheaper than a doctor’s appointment but only just…it still rings in as a tenner dearer than our UK counterparts.
It’s great news and I’m flabbergasted it’s only happening *now* in 2011 when the pill itself has been available since the 1980s. I wasn’t aware that GPs would have the time or inclination for any ‘counselling’ after dispensing the morning after pill!? I recall getting it, in Dublin, way back in the mid 1980s….the only counselling back then involved being ‘scolded’ by a family planning doctor and given a polite warning that women like me “ended up on the boat” sooner or later. I did end up on a boat, funny enough, when I eventually had to emigrate to get a job as Ireland had bog all to offer aside from religious and moral invective, corrupt politicians and a bagload of pervy priests. Got it another time too in the mid 90s with a lot less scolding and more of a polite chat. It’s a standard generic medicine that needs little introduction or directions for use, of course a pharmacy can dispense it! Although I’m sure we’ll hear more blubbering from the pro-life lobby and the last of the religious loons this week, waxing lyrical about how availability of this ‘abortive’ pill will encourage people to run out of their houses immediately and try to have sex. In the same way that divorce was bound to cause a mass hysterical ending of marriage all across the land, etc etc etc. Any move that facilitates women being more in control of their bodies and choices gets a big hallelujah thumbs up from me.
Welcome this move with open arms, it’s a small but powerful step towards greater personal freedom and of course, peace of mind for anyone worried about the unexpected risk of pregnancy. Going to a GP is not really an option in many cases. Like Rebecca above I am concerned about the expense as there are situations when that amount of money might not be readily available but I guess the higher fee is in some way a deterrent, to avoid the casual use of morning-after pill as a means of contraception.
Fantastic news! Particularly since the effectiveness of EC is so time-sensitive, giving women the option to access it more quickly and cost-effectively is fantastic. It’s about time!
It’s really great news, and about time to give women more say in their own lives. I am sure some priests are already writing Sunday’s sermon about it, but who are they to say anything after what the church has done. In the late 90s I had occasion to use it when I wasn’t on any contraception and had slept with my ex. The lady doctor, in her 40s at the time, asked me why I needed it, so I explained that my ex and I had been planning to get back together but hadn’t done so and had slept together. I got not so much a dressing down, as a condescending look and a polite chat about the way I was leading my private life with this man. Basically we should be discussing our life together and leave the sex out of it if I wasn’t on contraception. As if I was sleeping with every man in sight. I’m sure she’d be very relieved to know that this man is my partner 12 years on!
It is great news. I was prescribed emergency contraception by a GP in Dublin a couple of years ago. It was a pleasant enough, but incredibly brief meeting, and he showed zero interest in giving me counsel or advice.
Call me cynical, but I suspect the GPs are mostly interested in the 50 euro visit fee.
Was absolutely delighted to hear this.
Interestingly, have heard a few unpleasant stories recently from people needing to get painkillers which are now behind-the-counter (Solpadeine and Neurofen Plus) and having to battle with pharmacists to get them – answering various intrusive questions and ‘proving’ they needed a more-than-mild painkiller – I can see this kind of thing happening with the morning-after pill as well, though I sincerely hope it doesn’t.
Well we’ve come a long way since the days of the condom machines being torn off the walls in UCD and me (& every other women) having to go to a GP posing as a married woman to get the pill – & that was the late 1980s.
I have asked Boots for more information on the service and whether it will be available to women who have a medical card. Will post it here when I get a response.
[...] as a martyr for free speech. Whilst he demonised women for seeking the morning after pill in Boots (preferring restraint or chastity!) Quinn also whined to high heaven about being the victim of [...]