There has been a lot of news lately on the increase in use of Viagra tablets which seem to have brought a lot of benefit to the lives of husbands, wives, partners etc.

In Dublin, now, some of these people will be even more satisfied knowing there will be no need to pay for the drug Viagra as it can be given to them free of charge, providing they are medical card holders.

A GP who specialises in impotence treatment defended the practice, stating that "We are not talking about a preparation that is a matter of life and death, but they are of immense value ….. useful to the family and benefit both husband and wife".

Dr Colm Brady in an interview said that the results of treatments for erectile dysfunction far outweigh the costs. He also stated that though the drug is generally used by over-70s, as more restriction is placed on the issuance and availability of these medical cards, the bill for this drug will decline.

He was responding to a comment made by Clare County councillor Brian Meaney who questioned the Health Service Executive's priorities following revelations that almost £3.64m a year was spent making erectile dysfunction drugs free of charge for medical card holders whilst there had been a halt in the introduction of cervical cancer vaccinations due to budgetary pressure.

Cllr Meaney went on to ask whether the drug should be available on the medical card system particularly without making a judgement whether people need Viagra or not as it had been brought to his attention that some recipients received four pills a month which he said, was an "awful lot" and these recipients were reportedly selling them on. Buy Viagra online without prescription.

Dr Brady responded by saying that each patient should be assessed by their practitioner before the drug is prescribed but that he didnt "think the average doctor would automatically prescribe the maximum just because the patient is entitled to it".