Hundreds of thousands of people are still not availing of free GP visit cards

Just 26,130 of the estimated 430,000 people who are eligible for the card under a relaxed means test introduced last year have availed of one.

In early April, the figure was 20,350 and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly urged more people to apply.

He asked the HSE to make the application process easier as it was cited as too difficult.

A spokeswoman for the HSE said “the application and registration processes for GP visit card applications have been streamlined to assist individuals and families”.

Meanwhile, the take-up of GP visit cards for children aged six and seven, which was rolled out nearly a year ago, has exceeded the expected target.

Around 78,000 children were originally believed to be eligible, but the take-up has reached 85,148.

At the end of April, there were 699,443 people with a GP visit card compared to 547,535 last June.

The Government introduced free GP care for children aged under six in July 2015.​

A poll carried out last year by the Department of Health, before the cards were extended to more children and adults, found some patients are paying almost €50 more to see their family doctor than people in other parts of the country – with prices highest in Dublin.

The survey found one in six are paying between €26 and €50 to see their GP, while over a third are paying between €51 and €75.

The poll found parents pay an average of €55 for children and teenagers to be seen by a doctor, about 15pc of parents pay up to €50 and 21pc pay more, while 64pc of children had GP visit cards.