The Oireachtas Committee on Health has heard that 61 members of staff in the Health Service Executive are working on Brexit preparations at a cost of €6m.
Secretary General of the Department of Health Jim Breslin cited the figures as an example of the impact of Brexit on the Irish health service.
Members of the committee were also told that the HSE is monitoring the supply of medicines and there is no need for members of the public to stockpile, because there is no indication of shortages.
Fine Gael TD Kate O'Connell raised the question of labelling and suggested that Ireland had piggy-backed off the UK for a long time.
Ms O'Connell asked if Ireland had spoken to "other friendly countries" like the Dutch, that would print medicinal labelling in English.
Health Products Regulatory Authority Chief Executive Lorraine Nolan said the HPRA has been working extensively on the issue of joint labelling, 60% of which are currently with the UK.
She said that as part of its contingency plans, the HPRA is exploring labelling with other EU member states, including Scandinavian countries.
Deputy Chief Executive of the HPRA Rita Purcell noted that the authority had been "lobbying strongly" to ensure the continuation of joint labelling and the European Commission agreed last Wednesday that regulatory convergence could remain in respect of labels.
"In the next number of years, the shared labels and leaflets will continue in the short-term," she said.
