Children in Ireland are dependants of their parents and have the same entitlement to health services as their parents. This means that if your parents have a medical card, you are included as a dependant on that card and are entitled to the same range of services as your parents.
At the same time, there is a range of services specifically for children and certain services are provided free of charge for children even if their parents do not have a medical card. These services are generally provided as part of maternity and infant welfare services, health services for preschool children and school health services. Children are also entitled to vaccination and immunisation services free of charge.
The GP visit card for children under 6 is available to all children under the age of 6. For other children the GP visit card is means tested.
Children may be treated in public or private hospitals on the same basis as adults. There are a number of specialist children's hospitals. Entitlement to hospital services is the same in these hospitals as in public and voluntary hospitals generally. These hospitals provide in-patient services, out-patient services, day care, accident and emergency services and specialist services for children.
If children are admitted to hospital for treatment of defects discovered at child and school health examinations, they do not have to pay the usual in-patient public hospital charges.