A local GP has welcomed the news that women in the 32 to 35 year age bracket can avail of free contraception from today.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly announced the initiative has been expanded to include the group this morning.
It means all women from the age of 17 to 35 are now covered under the scheme which came into effect in 2022.
48 million euro has been invested so far with more than 189 thousand women accessing services since it's announcement.
Speaking to the Joe Finnegan Show, Castlerea doctor Madeline Ní Dhálaigh believes it's important to expand the initiative further.
"We would be asking for the scheme to be extended to 16-year-olds, but also to the older age-groups as well, because that is a time in life when an unplanned pregnancy is also an issue - right up to the perimenopause and into the early 50s," she said.
"We would be saying that is a very tricky time in a woman's life - say 45 to 55, where she may be facing perimenopause, but will also need good contraception.
"Those consultations are quite complex, so we would be calling on the HSE to look at this."
