Coonan welcomes opening of registration for gp visit card under 6s

Tipperary TD Noel Coonan has welcomed Monday's opening of the online registration system for the under 6s GP Visit Card scheme, saying he expects many more Tipperary doctors to sign up in the coming weeks and before it commences in July.

 

Deputy Coonan said: 'I understand 60% of doctors nationally have signed up to the scheme. As of last week the figure for North Tipperary/East Limerick was 46% and 8% in South Tipperary. We are confident this number will rise significantly before the scheme commences in July to meet demand from Tipperary families.

'I have raised the concern regarding GP uptake with Health Minister Leo Varadkar who has acknowledged my concerns and the difficulty being experienced with GPs signing contracts. The Minister has stressed that those who do sign up are doing the right thing for their patients, for children and for general practice.  

'The universal GP service constitutes a fundamental element in the Government's health reform programme and the current Government is the first in the history of the State to have committed itself to implementing a universal GP service for the entire population,' said Deputy Coonan.

'This is a start of a reform in health services. We have to start somewhere and we are conscious that free GP care is gradually introduced to other groups.

 

'These measures represent a major step on the way to universal health care,' concluded Deputy Coonan.