Lynch insists free GP care for u-6s will not benefit wealthier sector

Providing free GP care for children under six will not disproportionately benefit the better-off, junior health minister Kathleen Lynch has insisted.

As the controversial reform passed through the Seanad, critics said wealthy families would receive a financial boon, while other patients suffered.

Ms Lynch, who has taken over responsibility for primary car in the reshuffle, said means testing was not an option and the measure would benefit those struggling at a time when children need a lot of medical attention. “This is the most expensive time in a child’s life. Amazingly, when they hit five, the earaches, the sudden rise in temperature, the fright of them waking up in the night with a massive temperature, seems to disappear and they become healthier.”