Free GP care extended to include six and seven-year-olds
Children of an eligible age can be registered on the HSE website, with the card allowing the child to see their GP free of charge.
Registration for the expansion of free GP care to children aged six and seven has opened, with parents and guardians now able to sign their child up for a GP visit card.
The addition of six and seven-year-olds to the scheme was announced as part of Budget 2023, but drew concern from GPs who said it would put further strain on General Practices which are already at or beyond capacity in much of the country.
However, as part of an agreement with the Irish Medical Organisation, the HSE said a series of supports have been put in place to aid GPs in meeting the likely increase in demand for services.
Children of an eligible age can be registered on the HSE website, with the card allowing the child to see their GP free of charge. The cost of medicines and other services are not covered by the visit card.
The HSE added that the eligibility for income-based GP visit cards will be widened in two phases, on September 11th and November 13th.
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, today announced the opening of registrations for GP visit cards for children aged six and seven. From today, Friday 11 August 2023, the Under 6s GP Visit Card scheme has been expanded to become the Under 8s GP Visit Card scheme now providing free GP care for all children aged under eight in Ireland. The move represents the first stage in the biggest expansion in eligibility for free GP care in the history of the state covering up to 500,000 people.
Announcing the opening of registrations Minister Donnelly said: “I am delighted to announce that registrations for children aged six and seven for the expanded Under 8s GP Visit Card scheme will open today, while current GP visit cards will be automatically extended until a child’s 8th birthday. This expansion will provide free GP care to approximately 78,000 children aged six and seven across Ireland who currently access GP care on a private basis. This will ensure that cost is not a barrier to accessing healthcare and provides vital support to families dealing with cost of living challenges.
From today, parents can register children aged 6 and 7 for a GP visit card at hse.ie. For many children there will be no need to register as children who turned six after 1 July, 2023 will have their cards extended automatically by the HSE.
'Affordable Healthcare'
Minister Donnelly continued: “We are committed to making healthcare affordable for families. We have abolished inpatient charges, first for children and then for all – saving families up to €800 per year.
"We have brought the maximum amount payable by households under the Drug Payment Scheme down to €80 per month. We have also continued to build on our collaboration with General Practice and secured an agreement with the Irish Medical Organsiation (IMO) which supports GPs to recruit and retain more staff to better meet demand.
"We are investing in a significant increase in GP training places, with a recent announcement outlining how training places would increase by a third by 2024, and have partnered with the Irish College of General Practitioners on its very successful non-EU GP Training Scheme which is delivering immediate increased capacity.
“This expansion of the GP Visit Card scheme marks a significant milestone as we provide families with access to free GP care for children up to seven years old, extending care for an extra two years of a child’s life.
"Ensuring that children in Ireland can visit their GP for free gives them access to healthcare at the right time to help ensure their long-term health and wellbeing.”
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