Family Doctors
Register with a General Practitioner (GP) practice as soon as you can. Don’t wait until you get ill. If you are eligible for a medical card, you will need it, for example, to receive treatment or purchase prescription drugs
What is a ‘GP visit card’?
If you are not entitled to a medical card you may still be entitled to a ‘GP visit card’, which would entitle you to free GP visits only. The income level for ‘GP visit cards’ is higher than that for medical cards. You can find out if you are eligible for a ‘GP visit card’ by contacting the HSE in Tullamore, Co Offaly LoCall 1890 252 919 or Limerick Citizens Information Centre may be contacted on 0761 07 5780.
What about children?
Children in Ireland are dependents of their parents and are entitled to the same health services as their parents. This means that if you have a medical card, your children are included as a dependent on that card and are entitled to the same range of services as you are.
At the same time, there is a range of services specifically for children and certain services are provided free of charge for children even if their parents do not have a medical card. These services are generally provided as part of:
Children are also entitled to vaccination and immunisation services free of charge.
What do private patients pay?
If you are not entitled to a medical card you are considered to be a private patient. This means that when you visit your family doctor you must pay for their services. You will also have to pay for prescribed medicines, although nobody in Ireland, regardless of income, has to pay more than a certain amount each month for medicines.
Charges for visiting a GP are not set and will vary between doctors so you should check before you go. It is usually no more than €50.
The Health Insurance Authority is an independent regulator for the private health insurance market in Ireland and provides information and assistance to consumers of the private health insurance market.
The Health Insurance Authority,
Canal House, Canal Road,
Dublin 6, Ireland,
Telephone, Lo-Call 1850 929 166, Ph 01 406 0080
Fax 01 406 0081
Email [email protected]
How do I find a doctor?
General Practitioner (GP) is the official term for a family doctor in Ireland. They provide services to people in their surgery or in their patients’ homes. Most people simply call GPs their ‘doctor’.
The GP is responsible for all your treatment and will arrange for you to see any other health specialists when needed. Anyone coming to live in Ireland should first choose and register with a GP. Your GP should be your first point of contact if you are ill and may prescribe treatment for any illness or refer you to a consultant or hospital for further investigation.
If you register your health details with a GP and later experience problems with your health, your medical history will be on record.
You can also get a list of GPs from
Keep your GP’s phone number where you can find it quickly
How do I see my GP?
In most cases you need to make an appointment to see your GP (doctor). Either ring the surgery or go there yourself and ask for a time when they can see you. Sometimes you need to wait a few days before you can see the doctor. If you need immediate treatment ask for an urgent appointment. If you cannot keep your appointment let your GP know as soon as possible.
Will a GP come to my home?
If you need to see a doctor because of an emergency or you are too ill to go to their surgery there are a number of options:
If you have a medical card or GP visit card, services provided by the GP out-of-hours co-operative are free. Everyone else has to pay the full cost of using this service. Everyone must pay the full cost of care if they attend a private clinic for emergency treatment.
In the Limerick area the GP out-of-hours co-operative is called Shannondoc.
Many GPs in Limerick will be members of ShannonDoc. If your GP is, then outside normal surgery hours if you have urgent medical needs you can phone 1850-212-999 and talk to the staff on duty. If necessary they will ask you to go to their local treatment centre in Limerick City; or a doctor will decide if a home visit is necessary based on medical need. You must have an appointment before you attend the treatment centre. ShannonDoc is not an emergency service.
Phone: 1850 212 999;
Website: http://www.shannondoc.ie/
In case of an emergency call 999 or 112.
The emergency services are Ambulance, Fire Service, Garda Siochána and Coastguard.
How do I see a specialist?
Before your first appointment with any specialist consultant doctor you need to go to your GP who will arrange for you to have an appointment with the specialist.
Register with a General Practitioner (GP) practice as soon as you can. Don’t wait until you get ill. If you are eligible for a medical card, you will need it, for example, to receive treatment or purchase prescription drugs
What is a ‘GP visit card’?
If you are not entitled to a medical card you may still be entitled to a ‘GP visit card’, which would entitle you to free GP visits only. The income level for ‘GP visit cards’ is higher than that for medical cards. You can find out if you are eligible for a ‘GP visit card’ by contacting the HSE in Tullamore, Co Offaly LoCall 1890 252 919 or Limerick Citizens Information Centre may be contacted on 0761 07 5780.
What about children?
Children in Ireland are dependents of their parents and are entitled to the same health services as their parents. This means that if you have a medical card, your children are included as a dependent on that card and are entitled to the same range of services as you are.
At the same time, there is a range of services specifically for children and certain services are provided free of charge for children even if their parents do not have a medical card. These services are generally provided as part of:
- maternity and infant welfare services;
- health services for preschool children; and
- school health services.
Children are also entitled to vaccination and immunisation services free of charge.
What do private patients pay?
If you are not entitled to a medical card you are considered to be a private patient. This means that when you visit your family doctor you must pay for their services. You will also have to pay for prescribed medicines, although nobody in Ireland, regardless of income, has to pay more than a certain amount each month for medicines.
Charges for visiting a GP are not set and will vary between doctors so you should check before you go. It is usually no more than €50.
The Health Insurance Authority is an independent regulator for the private health insurance market in Ireland and provides information and assistance to consumers of the private health insurance market.
The Health Insurance Authority,
Canal House, Canal Road,
Dublin 6, Ireland,
Telephone, Lo-Call 1850 929 166, Ph 01 406 0080
Fax 01 406 0081
Email [email protected]
How do I find a doctor?
General Practitioner (GP) is the official term for a family doctor in Ireland. They provide services to people in their surgery or in their patients’ homes. Most people simply call GPs their ‘doctor’.
The GP is responsible for all your treatment and will arrange for you to see any other health specialists when needed. Anyone coming to live in Ireland should first choose and register with a GP. Your GP should be your first point of contact if you are ill and may prescribe treatment for any illness or refer you to a consultant or hospital for further investigation.
If you register your health details with a GP and later experience problems with your health, your medical history will be on record.
You can also get a list of GPs from
- Citizens Information Centres;
- Main public libraries;
- Yellow Pages; and
- Your friends and neighbours should be able to recommend a good GP practice near where you live.
Keep your GP’s phone number where you can find it quickly
How do I see my GP?
In most cases you need to make an appointment to see your GP (doctor). Either ring the surgery or go there yourself and ask for a time when they can see you. Sometimes you need to wait a few days before you can see the doctor. If you need immediate treatment ask for an urgent appointment. If you cannot keep your appointment let your GP know as soon as possible.
Will a GP come to my home?
If you need to see a doctor because of an emergency or you are too ill to go to their surgery there are a number of options:
- During surgery hours (usually Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm), phone your GP who will decide if a home visit is necessary based on medical need.
- Outside surgery hours, if you phone your GP the answering machine will usually tell you the number to phone in an emergency – this number may be a ‘locum’ service (a service in which another doctor is available to patients outside normal hours).
- If your GP is a member of a GP out-of-hours co-operative, you can visit it and see whatever doctor is on duty. The type of care that an out-of-hours co-operative may provide is:
- phone advice by a nurse or doctor;
- a treatment centre that you can attend; or
- a visit to your home by the doctor on duty.
If you have a medical card or GP visit card, services provided by the GP out-of-hours co-operative are free. Everyone else has to pay the full cost of using this service. Everyone must pay the full cost of care if they attend a private clinic for emergency treatment.
In the Limerick area the GP out-of-hours co-operative is called Shannondoc.
Many GPs in Limerick will be members of ShannonDoc. If your GP is, then outside normal surgery hours if you have urgent medical needs you can phone 1850-212-999 and talk to the staff on duty. If necessary they will ask you to go to their local treatment centre in Limerick City; or a doctor will decide if a home visit is necessary based on medical need. You must have an appointment before you attend the treatment centre. ShannonDoc is not an emergency service.
Phone: 1850 212 999;
Website: http://www.shannondoc.ie/
In case of an emergency call 999 or 112.
The emergency services are Ambulance, Fire Service, Garda Siochána and Coastguard.
How do I see a specialist?
Before your first appointment with any specialist consultant doctor you need to go to your GP who will arrange for you to have an appointment with the specialist.