GP and Pharmacy Services - Introduction

Information

General Practitioner (GP) is the official term for the doctor who provides services to people in his/her surgery or in the patient's home. Most people simply refer to GPs as their doctor or family doctor.

GPs provide services free of charge to medical card holders. Visits by GP Visit Card holders are also free of charge, but other services may not be. They also provide maternity and infant welfare services and services to certain people with Hepatitis C free of charge. Other patients must pay for GP service.

A qualified doctor may set up in General Practice provided he/she meets all the requirements of the Irish Medical Council, which is the regulatory body for doctors. Some doctors then enter into contracts with Health Service Executive (HSE) to provide GP services to medical card holders. These doctors are sometimes referred to as doctors who are in the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme. In order to be in the GMS scheme, doctors must have a number of years' experience and meet other requirements. Medical card holders choose an individual doctor for services, or are assigned to one by the HSE.

Some doctors only cater for private patients. Most doctors who cater only for private patients provide services to them on behalf of the HSE Area such as maternity and infant welfare services and vaccinations.

Approved prescribed drugs and medicines are free of charge for medical card holders and people with Hepatitis C who have Health Amendment Act Cards. (Certain low cost items which you can buy over the counter are not approved). People with certain long-term illnesses may get the approved prescribed drugs and medicines for those illnesses free of charge. Under the Drugs Payment Scheme, individuals or families who are registered with their Local Health Office pay only a maximum of €120 per calendar month (in 2010) for approved prescribed drugs and medicines.

In general, prescribed drugs and medicines can be obtained from your local pharmacy. Virtually all pharmacies have contracts with the Health Service Executive (HSE) to provide approved prescribed drugs and medicines to medical card holders, people with Hepatitis C who have Health Amendment Cards and long-term illness card holders and to implement the Drugs Payment Scheme. In certain circumstances, drugs and medicines may be provided directly by doctors or by hospitals and other specialist institutions.

There are strict government rules about the setting up and staffing of community pharmacies. These rules deal with the qualifications of staff and the general control of the sale of drugs.

If you are a medical card holder or have a Health Amendment Act Card or a long-term illness card, you can go to any community pharmacist to have your prescription filled; you do not become a patient of a particular pharmacist as you do with a particular doctor.