From July 1^st everyone over 70 is entitled to a medical card (GMS card)

A medical card issued by a local health board enables you to receive the following free of charge

• general practitioner services;
• prescribed drugs and medicines (with some exceptions);
• in-patient public hospital services;
• outpatient services;
• dental, optical and aural services
• medical appliances.

The medical card will not apply to a spouse if he/she is under 70.

How to Apply

An application form (available from your local health centre- Old County Road phone 4542511) has to be signed by your GP and returned to the health centre for processing.

In the meantime any prescriptions dispensed while waiting for the application to be processed will be reimbursed in full by the health board.

How the scheme works

When you visit your doctor your prescription will now be written on a special GMS Prescription Form. This can either be for a single dispensing or it can be a repeat form for 3 dispensings. Nothing can be dispensed under the scheme unless it is written on these forms. Everything allowed on the DPS scheme is also allowed on the GMS scheme.

Hospital doctors cannot write GMS prescriptions. The hospital script must be taken to your GP and written on the GMS prescription form.

We will endeavour to make the changeover as trouble free as possible and shall assist, if necessary, with any of the form filling involved.