‘Doctor only’ medical cards for low-income patients

LOW-INCOME patients will be able to apply for 200,000 ‘doctor only’ cards from next week after the Department of Health sorts out its difficulties with the country’s GPs.

After a seven-month wait, advertisements will appear in newspapers over the weekend inviting the public to apply for the cards which allow free doctor visits but don’t cover prescription or hospital costs.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Mary Harney also announced that the assessment methods for traditional medical cards and GP visit cards will be changed.