GMS payments ‘reflect ageing population’

AS many as 325 family doctors and 55 pharmacists earned €240,001 or more under General Medical Services (GMS) Schemes last year.

The average payment per patient to GPs was €261.53 (€247.66 in 2003) and €692.73 to pharmacists (€595.16 in 2003).

The bulk of the earnings going to GPs are personal taxable income, with much smaller amounts going towards overheads. The highest GP GMS earner is Dr Anthony Crosby, in Raheny, Co Dublin, who received €533,408 in fees last year from the GMS payments board and another €62,171 in overheads.