Financial woes force one third people to avoid GP visits

More than one third of people avoided visiting the family doctor over the last year as a result of financial hardship, according to a survey.

Of those who did attend their GP, more than half (56%) paid in excess of €50 per visit.

Stephen McMahon, chairman of the Irish Patients Association, said he was not surprised at the findings, carried out on behalf of GP Now, a medical subscription service where members pay a set fee per month or per annum for unlimited GP visits.