Women who carry medical cards will be able to get the morning-after pill free without a prescription from this July.
The pill is currently available without prescription from pharmacies, but not for medical card holders.
Pharmacists have been opposing this - the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) previously said that only offering emergency contraception without prescription to paying patients was discriminatory.
Health Minister Simon Harris is to announce the news at the annual conference of the IPU today, the
Irish Times reports.
“The Minister believes that all women, irrespective of their means, should have the same access to emergency contraception when they need it," said a spokesperson for the Minister in a statement.
