The threat of families switching to a new doctor if their GP chooses to opt out of treating under-6s for free is likely to be one of the key deciding factors in whether doctors sign up.

Some medical card patients, unable to afford prescription charges, are not taking vital medication and suffering strokes as a result, research will show.

Two reversals on split decisions denied Ireland top spot in the medals tables for the second consecutive time at the EU Elite Men’s Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria on Saturday.

Fears that the Government plan to introduce universal health insurance (UHI) is unworkable and based on a “utopian concept” which would be impossible to implement were raised by doctors at the weekend.

What is it about Sunday evenings and Irish celebrities warring on Twitter?

Doctors have rejected a motion to support legislation for abortion where there is a “real and substantial risk’’ to the life of the mother, in line with the X case.

On a night when Katie Taylor began a comeback she hopes will end in a second consecutive Olympic gold medal in 2016, another Irish boxing hero called time on his illustrious career.

Irish Olympic silver medalist Ken Egan has announced his retirement from boxing.

A night of drama at the National Stadium last night in the 2013 Elite National Championships, the birth of a new legend, the end of another as the great light-heavyweight Kenneth Egan, seeking a record 11th title in a record 13 consecutive final appearances, was forced to give way for the third year in succession to the more powerful teenager, Joe Ward.

Olympic champion Katie Taylor marked her return to action for the first time since her gold medal triumph last August with a 28-5 win over Poland’s Karolina Graczyk at the National Stadium in Dublin tonight.

This year’s Elite national boxing championships are only at semi-final stage but already we know that five titles will change hands this year.

Olympic silver medal-winning boxer Ken Egan believes the Lance Armstrong doping scandal will make sports people think twice about using banned substances.

Beijing Olympians Ken Egan, John Joe Joyce, Ross Hickey, David Oliver Joyce and Conrad Cummings recorded quarter-finals wins at the Elite Tammer tournament yesterday.

European light-heavyweight champion Joe Ward got Ireland’s campaign off to a flying start on the opening day of the final Olympic qualifiers for European male boxers in Trabzon, Turkey yesterday.

Financially stretched medical card holders who call GPs out of hours should be forced to pay a €5 penalty instead of receiving the support for free, a doctor has claimed.

It has been a disappointing start for the Irish at the World Championships in Azerbaijan.

Ray Moylette and Joe Ward pulled off a golden double for Ireland in the European Amateur Championships in Ankara today.

IRELAND’S Elite boxers are on the brink of claiming another record haul at the European Championships in Turkey one year after winning five medals in Moscow.

IRELAND’S Elite boxers are approaching the business end of the European Senior Championships in Turkey after claiming eight wins out of 10 in Ankara over the weekend.

THE era of the familydoctor making out-of-hours house calls could become a thing of the past because of a halving of the fee paid to GPs to make the trip, doctors warned at the weekend.

IRELAND’S boxers won three gold medals at the Feliks Stamm Multi-Nations in Warsaw yesterday.

WORLD Youth champion Joe Ward, Darren O’Neill, John Joe Nevin and Con Sheehan all advanced to today’s finals at the Feliks Stamm Multi-Nations tournament following semi-final wins yesterday.

DAVID OLIVER JOYCE has been named in the Istanbul side to meet The Kremlin Bears (Moscow) in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) European group on Friday night.

US OPEN champion and Ryder Cup team hero Graeme McDowell was last night named RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year.

IRISH boxing fans will see Ken Egan as they never saw him before when he lines out for Miami versus Los Angeles in World Series of Boxing (WSB) clash tonight.

THE eight-man Irish squad of Elite boxers completed a perfect day with eight semi-finals wins from eight at the Ostrava Grand Prix in Ostrava city in the Czech Republic yesterday.

Ireland will be taking home one gold, one silver and three bronze medals from the 2010 European Senior Championships at the Ice Palace in Moscow.

Ireland's boxers claimed three bronze medals - at least - from a day of quarter-final action at the 2010 European Senior Championships in Moscow.

Ireland hit the ground running in Moscow today, getting their European Senior Championships campaign off to a flying start with five wins out of five at the Ice Palace.

EUROPEAN Rugby chiefs insist the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup semi-finals will go ahead as scheduled despite the travel chaos caused by the eruption of a volcano in Iceland.

SELF-STYLED mobile clinics offering a range of on-the-spot health checks come without sterilising equipment and pose a health hazard to the unsuspecting public, doctors have warned.

The IABA have announced a 12-strong squad for the upcoming Prime Ministry Tournament in Ankara, Turkey.

Ten times Irish senior champion Ken Egan has been withdrawn from the Irish squad to face Italy at the National Stadium in Dublin this Friday after picking up the flu.

John Joe Joyce beat Roy Sheahan 10-2 in an all St Michael's Athy welterweight semi-final at the Irish Daily Star sponsored Elite National Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin tonight.

Ireland's Olympic hero Ken Egan has been using the hills of Donegal as his inspiration ahead of his tilt at creating another piece of Irish boxing history.

IRELAND'S boxers have maintained their high flying positions in the first AIBA Official World rankings published for 2010 yesterday.

THE Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) host their annual awards night at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Dublin on Friday evening.

Ken Egan and Willie McLaughlin both bowed out of the AIBA World Championships at the quarter final stage in Milan this afternoon.

Willie McLaughlin and Ken Egan are just one bout away from at least a bronze medal apiece at the AIBA World Championships in Milan following last 16 wins this afternoon.

Willie McLaughlin and Ken Egan progressed to the last 16 of the AIBA World Senior Championships following impressive wins in Milan this afternoon.

David Oliver Joyce is out of the World Championships following a 16-11 reversal to Mexican featherweight Oscar Valdez in Milan today.