The Government has recently announced the opening of registrations for GP visit cards for children aged 6 and 7.
From now, 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 8 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.
Welcoming the opening of registrations, North Cork Fine Gael Councillor John Paul O’Shea said “I am delighted to see that registrations for children aged 6 and 7 for the expanded Under 8s GP Visit Card scheme is now open, 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 6 and 7 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. The move is an important step towards universal healthcare.”
From now, parents can register children aged 6 and 7 for a GP visit card at www.hse.ie. For many children there will be no need to register as children who turned 6 after 1 July 2023 will have their cards extended automatically by the HSE.
