Doctors, insurance and emergencies in Dublin

What is and is not free

Residents are entitled to public hospital care, but GP visits are paid for at full price unless you hold a medical card or a GP visit card, both of which are means-tested; young children are covered by a separate free GP scheme. Prescription costs are capped monthly per household under the Drugs Payment Scheme. Attending a hospital emergency department without a GP referral carries a standard charge.

• Medical card and GP visit card are means-tested and applied for through the HSE.
• The Drugs Payment Scheme caps household prescription costs each month — register for it.
• An emergency department visit without a referral carries a fixed statutory charge.

Registering with a GP

Many Dublin practices are closed to new patients, so start looking as soon as you have an address rather than when you are unwell. Practices ask for identification, your address and often your PPS number. Once you are on a list, appointments are usually available within days, and out-of-hours GP co-operatives cover evenings and weekends across the city.

• Ring practices near your address and ask directly whether they are taking new patients.
• Keep a written summary of your medical history and current medication.
• Out-of-hours GP co-ops operate across Dublin — find yours before you need it.

Private insurance

Private cover is held by a large share of the population and is bought principally to avoid public waiting lists for elective procedures and outpatient appointments. Policies are community-rated, meaning the premium does not vary with your health, but a lifetime community rating loading applies to people joining after a set age and increases with each year of delay. Employers frequently offer a scheme, and there are waiting periods for pre-existing conditions on any new policy.

• Community rating means age at joining, not health, drives the long-run price.
• Waiting periods apply to new members and to pre-existing conditions.
• Most policies cover very little GP or outpatient care — read what you are actually buying.

Emergencies and pharmacies

112 and 999 both work and both reach the emergency services. Dublin's emergency departments are chronically busy, and unless the problem is genuinely urgent a GP or an out-of-hours co-op will be faster. Pharmacies are widespread, pharmacists can advise on a good deal without a prescription, and a duty rota covers late opening.