The Free Contraception Scheme
How pharmacists can improve access for marginalised women
The Free Contraception Scheme introduced in 2022 has been one of the key advancements for women’s health in recent years, reaching over 200,000 women in 2023 alone. Ground-breaking in its aims, the scheme intends to make contraception free to every woman who needs it between the ages of 17 and 35.
Written by Corrinne Hasson, Executive Director, The National Women’s Council of Ireland
Source: Irish Pharmacy News, June 2026, pages 54.
Community pharmacists are often the first point of entry to the health system particularly for women from marginalised communities, such as disabled women or Traveller women. As the first point of entry, pharmacists are key players in helping women navigate the health system, by sharing their knowledge about services. This is particularly important for communities who may not have the same networks and knowledge.
As key players, it’s essential that pharmacists understand the specific barriers that marginalised groups of women face in accessing healthcare in general, and the Free Contraception Scheme more specifically. Last month, along with Trinity College Dublin and the Department of Health, the National Women’s Council (NWC) published research into exactly this issue.
The research included a survey of more than 500 women and focus groups with migrant women, disabled women, LGBTQ+ people, and Traveller women.
Overall, women very much welcomed the introduction of the Free Contraception Scheme. However, 31% reported barriers and challenges to access. A key challenge for migrant women was access to a GP. On top of the barriers which many people encounter – a general scarcity of GPs, affordability – migrant women may lack knowledge on how to navigate the system in general. This is an area where the legislation on pharmacist prescribing – approved but not yet implemented – could make a huge difference.
Another key challenge for migrant women was simply not knowing about the scheme. Here, pharmacists can play a key role by sharing their knowledge with women who may not realise they could be accessing the scheme.
Many of our participants – Traveller women, disabled women and migrant women – also felt uncomfortable talking to a male GP about contraception. This is another area where pharmacist prescribing could significantly improve access to the scheme.
Traveller women in our focus groups spoke about the dynamics of coercive control and domestic abuse and how this could play out for a woman hoping to access contraception. Privacy was seen as paramount. In this regard, it is heartening to see the Irish Pharmacy Union’s “Safe Pharmacy” strategy for victims and survivors of domestic violence and coercive control; this is a good example of how informed pharmacists can help break down barriers to accessing healthcare.
Migrant women also spoke of exclusion from accessing the Free Contraception Scheme because they did not have a PPS number or because of their migration status. Traveller women shared they had experienced stigma and prejudice from healthcare providers in the past which affected willingness to access healthcare in general, including the Free Contraception Scheme. Disabled women explained how mobility, visual or other impairments often act as a barrier in accessing healthcare providers and certain forms of contraceptives.
Many members of these groups have experienced medical trauma. Disabled women we spoke to reported trauma related to their impairment. Some migrant women had experienced Female Genital Mutilation. Some LGBTQI+ people reported previous negative experiences with medical professionals. These experiences all played a role in eroding trust between these groups and healthcare professionals, impeding access to the Free Contraception Scheme.
Many of the women we spoke to said more training, sensitivity, and flexibility is needed in healthcare. Gender sensitive training can ensure that providers and health care professionals (including pharmacists) are equipped to support women in all their diversity. Sometimes we simply do not know the right terms to use, or maybe we don’t fully understand the culture of the person we are talking to, and gender sensitive training – which includes cultural competency – can support us to do our work. This could be beneficial for pharmacists not only in relation to the Free Contraception Scheme but in their overall practice.
So what are the next steps?
NWC is advocating for the removal of all limitations in the Scheme, including age limitations and PPSN requirements. We know women are fertile well over the age of 35 so the age barrier must go. We also know that women who don’t have a PPS number are extremely vulnerable financially, so it’s important that this scheme reaches them too.
NWC is also calling for information on the scheme to be made available in more languages and in more accessible formats. The needs of migrant communities and disabled women should be front of mind when doing this.
Lastly, NWC is advocating for mandatory training in gender sensitivity across the health services and supports. We would like to see more supports for pharmacists to guide women to access the Free Contraception Scheme. In the future, a change in scope of practice, to allow pharmacists prescribe some forms of contraception, could also be key in ensuring all women can access contraception when they need it.
