8 February 2026
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Stock photo: File photo of an injection
The State is funding GLP-1 weight-loss medicines for prisoners while ordinary patients are denied access under the Drugs Payment Scheme – says Cork TD
Figures released under Freedom of Information show that more than €57,000 has been spent on Ozempic for prisoners since 2022, with total spending on weight-loss drugs in prisons exceeding €70,000 over the same period. This includes spending on Mounjaro and Saxenda, medicines which many working families outside the prison system must pay for entirely out of pocket.
At the same time, the Minister for Health has confirmed that access to these medicines for the general public remains tightly restricted, with no clear timeline for reimbursement decisions and no published cost-benefit analysis.
This is a clear inconsistency in public policy, according to Cork North Central Ken O’Flynn TD of Independent Ireland
In a statement the TD said:
Prisoners are provided with structured meals, supervised healthcare, gyms, and fitness facilities. Many law-abiding citizens, including those in work and paying tax, are told that access to clinically proven obesity treatments is not affordable or not yet justified.
Obesity is a major driver of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and long-term pressure on the health system. If these medicines are considered clinically appropriate and cost-effective within the prison system, the Government must explain why the same logic does not apply to patients in the community.
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.
I have submitted a full set of Parliamentary Questions seeking timelines, economic assessments, and clarity on equity in reimbursement decisions. The Government now owes the public straight answers.
Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show:
• €57,097 spent on Ozempic for prisoners since 2022
• More than €70,000 spent on weight-loss related medicines in prisons
• €8,460 spent on Mounjaro for nine inmates in 2025
• €4,562 spent on Saxenda for five inmates since 2022
Deputy Ken O’Flynn TD has submitted Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Health on GLP-1 reimbursement policy, cost-effectiveness analysis, prevention savings, and equity of access.