Over €51 million paid out for Galway medical cards holders in one year

The HSE West paid out a total of more than €51 million to doctors, dentists, eye specialists and pharmacists in Galway over a twelve-month period under subsidy schemes for medical card holders, according to newly-published figures.

According to the figures from the HSE’s Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS), three doctors in Galway each earned more than €500,000 for providing services to medical card holders in 2011.

The figures also show that one pharmacist in Carraroe earned more than €495,000 for that year, an eye specialist company in Galway City was paid almost €240,000 and a city dentist earned more than €142,500.

An analysis of the figures by the Connacht Tribune shows that 180 Galway doctors earned a combined total of almost €28.8 million in 2011 from the HSE West.

In the same period, 103 pharmacists in the city and county earned €18.2m; 101 dentists earned almost €3m and 26 opticians and opthamologists were paid a total of more than €880,000.