The State is funding Ozempic for prisoners while ordinary patients are denied access under the Drugs Payment Scheme.

That’s according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act after to Ken O’Flynn, TD for Cork North Central.

More than €57,000 has been spent on the GLP-1 weight loss medication Ozempic for prisoners since 2022.

Total spending for weight loss drugs in prisons has exceeded €70,000. Medications include Mounjaro and Saxenda, which many ordinary citizens must pay for entirely out of pocket.

The Minister for Health has confirmed that access to these medicines for the general public will remain tightly constricted. No clear timeline for reimbursement decisions has been released.

Deputy O’Flynn (Ind Ire) outlined that prisoners are provided with structured meals, supervised healthcare, gyms and fitness facilities, while ordinary citizens are told that access to weight loss medication is not affordable or not yet justified.

Obesity is a major driver of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and places a long-term pressure on the health system.

Deputy O’Flynn highlighted the double standard between the prison system and standard healthcare. ‘If these medicines are considered appropriate and cost-effective within the prison system, the Government must explain why the same logic does not apply to patients in the community,' he said.

He continued: ‘Public trust depends on fairness and transparency. A system where prisoners receive taxpayer-funded access to medicines that are denied to the wider public is not sustainable and not defensible.’

Deputy O’Flynn said that he has submitted a full set of Parliamentary Questions seeking clarity on these issues.