Almost 100,000 people in Cork have a GP visit card, with all families across the city and county encouraged to check their eligibility for the scheme.
As of August 1, there were more than 750,000 registered GP visit card holders nationwide, all of which are eligible to visit their GP free of charge.
Fine Gael Cork North Central TD Colm Burke said this initiative is “fantastic to see and shows how [the government] is committed to alleviating the financial burden associated with healthcare costs in Cork”.
“The GP visit card scheme is open to a broad range of applicants”, he said.
“For most, eligibility is based on income thresholds and family circumstances.
“Children under eight years of age and those aged 70 years old or more are automatically eligible for a card.
“Many people are not aware that they may qualify, and the minister for health urges everyone to review the criteria,” he added.
“I would urge all Cork residents to consider applying now as it could provide annual savings of €600 for a family of four.”
To qualify for a GP visit card, a range of criteria must be assessed including your income, your marital status and household expenses.
For more information on the criteria for the scheme, or to apply for theGP visit card, visit:
https://www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/gp-visit-cards/gp-visit-cards.