Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 March 2022
635. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who do not currently qualify for free general practitioner care but would if general practitioner care was freely and universally available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12842/22]
View answerAs of 1st February 2022, 1,539,900 held eligibility for a medical card while an additional 526,825 held eligibility for a GP visit card. This means that 2,066,725 held eligibility for free GP Services, over 41% of the current population.
According to most recent CSO statistics, Ireland's total population was estimated to be 5,011,500. As such, if a measure to introduce universal GP care was implemented, an additional 2,944,775 individuals would become eligible for free GP care.
