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€5 Charge for a Medical Certuficate for Medical Card holders

  • 26-10-2017 3:07pm
    #1
    Agnes83
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭


    Hi all,
    I am a medical card holder and today I attended my GP. She diagnosed me with acute tonsilits and prescribed some meds. I completely forgot to ask her for Medical ﹰCertificate so I came back a few mins later and asked a secretary for one (only for today and tomorrow). She said that there is a charge of €5 for the cert. Being very surprised , I asked since when and she said that from January. However I don't remember paying for one in September and back in February when I needed them.
    So I wonder about this charge... Is it legal? Didnt get any receipt. Was looking for some info on it in internet but there is nothing regarding this topic.


Comments

  • #2
    RobbingBandit
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,164 ✭✭✭✭RobbingBandit


    Citizens information states you maybe charged for certain certification. Maybe pop into your local centre to clarify.

    http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/health_services/gp_and_hospital_services/gp_services_to_medical_card_holders.html


  • #3
    Agnes83
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭Agnes83


    Thanks for your answer. Citizen Information actually does say that "You may be charged for medical certificates for absence from work". It's just that the secretary wasn't nice and said that I should be happy for being seen by GP for free and surely can effort € 5. Didn't like that. I needed cert not for work but for my practice placement where I work with people with disabilities. I just felt that I was asking for a huge favour worth a fortune. That's all.


  • #4
    RobbingBandit
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,164 ✭✭✭✭RobbingBandit


    Agnes83 wrote: »
    Thanks for your answer. Citizen Information actually does say that "You may be charged for medical certificates for absence from work". It's just that the secretary wasn't nice and said that I should be happy for being seen by GP for free and surely can effort € 5. Didn't like that. I needed cert not for work but for my practice placement where I work with people with disabilities. I just felt that I was asking for a huge favour worth a fortune. That's all.

    Not nice at all to have to hear things like that maybe have a word with the gp about it next time, the secretary is usually like that in my gps too.


  • #5
    myshirt
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,245 ✭✭✭myshirt


    Do you know how much the gp gets for having you on their books no matter how often you attend?

    Less than 6 euro a month.

    Do you know how much it costs to run a practice?

    More than 6 euro a month.

    The secretary could have been a bit more sensitive about it, but now that you know you should go back and fix them up for the past cases, and also for any blood tests and courier charges.


  • #6
    Duncanwooly
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭Duncanwooly


    myshirt wrote: »
    Do you know how much the gp gets for having you on their books no matter how often you attend?

    Less than 6 euro a month.

    Do you know how much it costs to run a practice?

    More than 6 euro a month.

    The secretary could have been a bit more sensitive about it, but now that you know you should go back and fix them up for the past cases, and also for any blood tests and courier charges.

    It's €000,000s that doctors gross from the scheme.

    https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/hse-pays-53m-to-100-gp-practices-co-operatives-1.2918772

    https://static.rasset.ie/documents/news/2017/08/payments-to-doctors-2016.pdf


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  • #7
    RhubarbCrumble
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,174 ✭✭✭RhubarbCrumble


    RobbingBandit wrote: »
    the secretary is usually like that in my gps too.

    I have my suspicions we must all attend the same GP .....:mad:


  • #8
    Spanish Eyes
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,982 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    How does one get a medical card if working?

    I suppose it is income related.

    Last time I visited my doc it was 60 quid + 25 odd for meds, and a tenner for repeat visit for more meds, and another 35 quid for meds. I am so lucky.


  • #9
    CIARAN_BOYLE
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,599 ✭✭✭✭CIARAN_BOYLE


    Duncanwooly wrote: »
    It's €000,000s that doctors gross from the scheme.

    https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/hse-pays-53m-to-100-gp-practices-co-operatives-1.2918772

    https://static.rasset.ie/documents/news/2017/08/payments-to-doctors-2016.pdf

    Yes it is. The majority of patients they see twice a year or less which is where the GPs are more or less happy running the scheme. If they see you more than that they don't like you.


  • #10
    jcon1913
    Registered Users Posts: 803 ✭✭✭jcon1913


    CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »
    Yes it is. The majority of patients they see twice a year or less which is where the GPs are more or less happy running the scheme. If they see you more than that they don't like you.

    Its private patients effectively susidising the public patients. If a GP only had medical card patients they wouldnt make money.


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