A tweet highlighted that the morning after tablet isn’t out there free in every single place (Image: Getty)
Emergency contraception might be prescribed free from GUM clinics, GPs, and sure pharmacies.
Nevertheless, in case you go to a pharmacy and not using a prescription, you’ll have to pay as much as £35 to get your fingers on the morning after tablet.
With coronavirus restrictions which means many GPs are providing restricted appointments and sexual well being clinics operating on decreased hours, these requiring emergency contraception might find yourself having to entrance the associated fee or threat an unplanned being pregnant.
A current tweet that was favored over 6,000 occasions (earlier than the person turned her profile to personal) acknowledged: ‘For those who assume the warfare on ladies was over, you may now not get the morning after tablet without cost from pharmacies as I’ve discovered at this time. It prices round £30, viagra is free. Girls want this tablet for quite a lot of causes and each is legitimate.’
The girl added that she’d tried three totally different pharmacies over the course of the day, however was informed that it wasn’t out there free in any respect.
This isn’t strictly true, however does spotlight the discrepancy in availability of free emergency contraception throughout totally different areas – significantly in comparison with non-emergency sexual well being providers.
Sildenafil (the non-branded model of viagra) might be bought with a personal prescription, or you will get a prescription on the NHS, and pay the traditional value, which is round £9 in England.
Some trusts throughout the nation will provide the morning after tablet free for ladies, however that is depending on the place you reside, and isn’t assured.
With the morning after tablet needing to be taken inside round 72 hours after unprotected intercourse, it may be troublesome to get to an appointment at a surgical procedure or clinic.
If individuals don’t have the cash to pay for the contraception on the pharmacist, this may very well be problematic. There have additionally been cases where people are blocked from accessing this altogether (though that is uncommon).
For these attempting to get their fingers on emergency contraception who’re frightened about the associated fee, first check online to see where it’s offered free in your area. It is best to be capable of get an appointment for a clinic in case your pharmacist don’t provide consultations.
Speaking about contraception during lockdown, pharmacist Deborah Evans informed Metro.co.uk: ‘My recommendation to anybody who’s anxious after unprotected intercourse or contraceptive failure, is to offer your pharmacy a name.
‘We will have a session over the telephone that can assist you contemplate whether or not emergency hormonal contraception is appropriate for you and can handle the dialog discretely and confidentially. If appropriate, then you may pop into the pharmacy to gather your pack.’
It’s unlucky that it’s one thing of a postcode lottery in the case of how a lot you pay for these providers.
A Superdrug spokesperson informed Metro.co.uk: ‘There could also be plenty of explanation why it will not be attainable to entry the morning after tablet without cost and it’s largely depending on NHS commissioning providers. At Superdrug we provide it without cost wherever it’s out there for us to take action.’
A Boots UK spokesperson added: ‘We stay dedicated to growing accessibility of Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) for ladies, and we firmly consider in the suitable of all ladies to entry these providers with ease and comfort.
‘It’s at present out there as a free NHS service within the majority of our pharmacies the place there’s a domestically commissioned service out there , nevertheless we proceed to encourage the federal government to offer one nationally commissioned NHS service out there from all pharmacies for all ladies in England, as there may be in Wales and Scotland.
‘In all of our pharmacies throughout the UK, we provide an over-the-counter Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) service ranging from £15.99.’
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