Plans are in place to extend the GP visit cards to age eight.

Last year I wrote about the need for the children's GP visit card scheme to go past the age of six and this month the government announced that that's just what it plans to do. The free GP scheme will now be available to children up to the age of eight years and eventually go all the way up to age 12. Though the scheme has been around a few years a lot of parents are still not aware of it or how to apply for one and if you're having trouble finding information look no further. All children under six years of age (soon to be eight) living in Ireland can apply for a GP visit card. The under 6s GP visit card covers: Free GP visits. Assessments at age two and five. GP home visits. Out-of-hours urgent GP care. Care for children with asthma. Medication costs and hospital charges are not covered. Applying for the card is really straight forward and can be done through their website. To register your child you need to provide your: Your PPS number Child's PPS number GP's name Then all you need to do is click the 'register online' button here on the HSE website.