A prescription charge of 50 cent per item will be introduced for each item dispensed to medical card holders from October 1st, the Department of Health has confirmed.
The charges will be capped at €10 per family per month and the HSE will put in place a refund system in order to refund families who exceed the €10 monthly ceiling.
Prescription Charges will not apply to children in the care of the HSE who have their own medical card.
Those in the Long Term Illness Scheme, the Drugs Payment Scheme, patients receiving services under the Health (Amendment) Act 1996 and those in the Methadone Treatment Scheme will also be exempt from the charge.
The charge was first announced in the Budget.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen last month defended the charge in the Dáil, noting the McCarthy report on public expenditure cuts had recommended a €5 prescription charge.
Minister for Health Mary Harney described the charge as “modest”, noting that the maximum amount payable would be €10 per family per month.
“The charges are being introduced on foot of a Budget 2010 decision to address the rising costs in the general medical services scheme,” she said in the Dáil.
“The scheme also seeks to influence demand and prescribing patterns in the GMS, in a modest way.” Ms Harney said the measure could raise approximately €2 million per month.
In a statement, the department said it was working in close collaboration with the Health Service Executive and the Irish Pharmacy Union to put in place the necessary arrangements for the implementation of the charges.