Galway men have left taxpayers with a stiff bill for erectile dysfunction drugs provided under free schemes by the Health Service Executive (HSE), new figures have revealed.
Almost €4.4 million of public money has been spent providing Viagra and similar prescription drugs to medical-card holders and other eligible patients in the county since 2009.
The number of people getting erectile dysfunction (ED) pills on the medical card has also risen steadily during this time. Last year, 10,989 patients in Galway were provided with the drugs under the scheme, representing a 59% increase since 2009.
In total, the HSE has spent €4,355,453 on ED medicines for Galway patients under public health schemes in the past five years.
Medical-card holders covered by the General Medical Services (GMS) scheme account for €3,894,155 of the total amount, while a further €454,614 was spent on ED drugs for patients under the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS).
The DPS covers the cost of approved medicines over a threshold of €144 per month for individuals or families.
Another 38 claimants covered by the Long-Term Illness Scheme, which provides concessions for patients with conditions such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, also received ED drugs at a cost of €6,684.
Medicines prescribed to treat erectile dysfunction include Viagra, Levitra, Cialis and Sidena. They contain similar active ingredients such as sildenafil, vardenafil, and tadalafil.
Last year, the most commonly prescribed drug under free schemes nationally was sildenafil, which is sold as Viagra and other trade names. Tadalafil, the trade name of which is Cialis, was the next-most commonly prescribed drug.
At least 13,838 prescriptions for ED medications were issued to patients in Galway who qualified under free health schemes during the past five years. Of these, 10,989 were dispensed under the GMS scheme and 2,811 were dispensed under the DPS.
Nationally, more than €57 million has been spent on ED pills for patients on free schemes since 2009. Medical-card holders accounted for €36.7 million of the total amount, while €15.5 million and €4.8 million was spent through the DPS and LTI schemes, respectively.
Last year, the number of unique patients who were supplied with ED drugs at the expense of the HSE was 41,412 at a cost of €7.1 million.
The figures were released by the HSE under the Freedom of Information Act.
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