163,000 under-6s registered for scheme

More than 163,000 children aged under-6 have been registered for free GP care, Health Minister Leo Varadkar has revealed.

Despite opposition claims that the Government was prioritising healthy children from comfortable backgrounds above older, sick children, the Coalition hopes the move will prove popular with voters in the run-up to the general election.

After initial resistance in some parts of the medical profession, some 92% of GPs have signed up for the scheme.

Under the initiative, children will receive standard check-ups at the ages of two and five. There is an agreed cycle of care for children diagnosed with asthma.

Mr Varadkar urged parents who had not yet registered their child to do so. “I’m very encouraged by the numbers to date. However, I am encouraging and reminding those who haven’t yet done so to register," he said.

Kathleen Lynch, the junior health minister, said the Government was also making good on pledges to provide better care for elderly people.

For more information on registration for the scheme, contact 1890 252919.