'Not enough medical staff' for free under-eight care, say GPs

A study carried out by Trinity College Dublin three years after the introduction of free GP care for under-sixes found 45% of additional visits to GPs and 73% of extra visits to out-of-hours services were for children in this age group. File picture

Free GP care for more children, while welcome, could limit access to treatment for other patients, the GP representative body has said.

The budget includes a planned expansion of free GP care to children aged six and seven, although a timeframe was not laid out. A similar programme for under-sixes started in 2015 and had been planned to reach under-12s within a year.