The number of people eligible for a free GP visit card in Clare has increased by over 14% in the last year.
It comes as the latest HSE figures show this county has the third-lowest total of GPs contracted to provide Medical Card Services nationwide.
In Clare, there are currently 123 medical professionals and practices who have entered agreements with the HSE as part of the Primary Care Reimbursement Service.
The PCRS Scheme covers all Medical Card services, dental services, ranging from free examinations to fillings, extractions and root canals, optical care, including free eye tests and glasses and pharmacy prescriptions.
In Clare, 53 General Practitioners are operating under the scheme, which is the third-lowest total of any Local Healthcare Office (LHO) nationwide, with only West Cork at 46 and Roscommon at 31 having a lower participation rate.
Clare also has just 44 pharmacists participating in the scheme, which is just the fifth-lowest total in the country when compared to the other 31 LHO areas.
Additionally, just 13 dentists and 13 optometrists in Clare are also providing services to Medical Card holders, which in both cases is third lowest when compared to other counties and LHOs nationwide.
Despite this, the demand for Medical Card services in Clare is growing, last October approximately 13,485 people in this county were entitled to a free GP visit card, twelve months on, this figure has grown by over 14% to 15,415.
So far this year, the HSE has paid over €19m to Opticians, GPs, Dentists and Pharmacists in Clare to provide public services.
Of this total, over €816,000 went directly to GPs for services provided under the GP Visit Card Scheme.
