Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 February 2022
646. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when free general practitioner visits for children under seven years of age which was committed to in Budget 2022 will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4344/22]
View answer742. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Health the timeline for the extension of general practitioner visit cards to six and seven year olds as announced in Budget 2022. [4792/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 646 and 742 together.
The Government is committed to increasing access to GP care without charges for children, an important healthcare measure that will remove a potentially prohibitive cost barrier to accessing GP care and will help to improve children’s health as they develop. At present all children up to and including the age of 5 are eligible for a GP visit card and therefore GP care without charges.
The Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act 2020 provides, amongst other things, for the phased expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under in three phases: to children aged 6 and 7; to children aged 8 and 9; and to children aged 10,11 and 12. Budget 2022 provides for the initial stage of this phased expansion, the provision of GP care without fees to all children aged 6 and 7 and my Department has commenced work to roll the service out this year.
The specific date for commencing the expansion remains under consideration in light of COVID-19 and the additional pressures the expansion might place on general practice in that context and will require consultation with the IMO, representing General Practitioners. It is important to ensure that any additional pressures placed on general practice will not limit its capacity to meet the needs of all patients in the community.
