A selection of prices
There is an 80 per cent difference between the lowest and the highest GP consultation fees being charged in the State, according to an informal survey.
The lowest fee found was €28, which is being charged by Dr Gerald Wheeler in Ennistymon, Co Clare. The highest was €50, charged by the Ailesbury Clinic in Merrion, Dublin.
In Dublin, the lowest fee was €30, which is being charged at the Ballymun Medical Centre, followed by the Mountjoy Family Practice in Dublin 1, where €35 is charged. Most consultation fees in the capital are in the €40-€45 bracket.
Outside of Dublin, city prices tend to be around the €40 mark, depending on the affluence of the area. GPs in Tralee, Charleville, New Ross and Westport are also charging €40. In smaller towns and in rural areas, charges usually vary between €30 and €35.
According to a recent Irish Medical Times survey of 121 GPs, the majority - 47.1 per cent - charge between €30 and €39, with 9.1 per cent charging between €20 and €29. It found that 38.8 per cent charge €40- €49, and 5 per cent charge more than €50.