The Daily Populous Tuesday April 1st, 2025 evening edition
Authored by abc.net.au and submitted by No-Information6622

The morning-after pill is set to be made available over the counter for free in pharmacies in England this year, the UK government says.

Currently, women can get the emergency contraception pill for free from sexual health clinics run by the National Health Service (NHS) and most GP surgeries.

However, the pill can cost up to £30 ($62) at pharmacies in the UK.

Starting this year, the pill will be available for free at pharmacies, aiming to "reduce inequalities", according to a Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) statement.

The move will also help free up GPs by reducing the need for women to make appointments to access the pill, the DHSC said.

"Equal access to safe and effective contraception is crucial to women's healthcare and a cornerstone of a fair society," Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said.

This initiative is part of a wider push to improve pharmacy's services in the UK. (Reuters: Sarah Silbiger)

"Women across England face an unfair postcode lottery when seeking emergency contraception, with access varying dramatically depending on where they live," Mr Kinnock added.

The National Pharmacy Association said the announcement represented "good news for patients and pharmacies alike".

However, it made clear that the NHS "fully reimburses" pharmacies for time taken to conduct consultations required before pills can be dispensed.

The government will announce additional details on Monday local time as part of a "package of investment and reform" for community and retail pharmacies.

Other plans include offering patients suffering depression convenient support at pharmacies when they are prescribed antidepressants, and cutting red tape and bureaucracy to give patients easier access to consultations.

The government said it would also boost financial incentives for pharmacists to identify patients with undiagnosed high blood pressure.

HettySwollocks on March 31st, 2025 at 21:11 UTC »

I'm amazed this was ever not a thing. Women should be in control of their own bodies, this is a great step forward.

JaymeMalice on March 31st, 2025 at 21:08 UTC »

Good! Nice to see my country have a W!

xv323 on March 31st, 2025 at 20:38 UTC »

I’m really bored of Americans seeing a post about something happening in a country that isn’t America, and immediately deciding that what everyone really needs right now is to hear all about America in the comment section. Not everything is about the United States and the United States is not the centre of the world.

It would be lovely to be able to discuss something like this on here without you lot all piling in to go ‘yeah but what about America though’.