Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 570: To ask the Minister for Health his plans to extend general practitioner visit cards to cover hospital and accident and emergency visits and stays. [13716/12]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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The GP visit card was introduced in 2005 as a graduated benefit, so that people on lower incomes who do not qualify for a medical card, would not be deterred on cost grounds from visiting their GP. I have no plans at present to extend the scope of the GP visit card to include exemptions to general hospital charges.