Free GP care for under-6s sees hospitals inundated with children

The introduction of free GP care for children under six is exacerbating emergency department (ED) overcrowding with inundated GPs referring more children to hospital, according to a leading ED consultant.

Dr Chris Luke, based at the Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in Cork, said he understood that since last July’s introduction of free visits to the family doctor for under-6s, there had been “a 60% surge in the number of under-6s at many GP surgeries around the country”.

Likewise, there were reports of a 30%-50% surge in the number of under-6s attending EDs in Cork, he said.