Doctor survey The average cost of attending a family doctor in the Republic now stands at €35.88, according to a Department of Health survey.
The study of fees paid by some 1,130 private patients found that while over 600 paid their GP between €31 and €40 on their last visit, a small number were charged over €50.
Respondents to the study also included medical card holders, and analysis of data they provided shows that they attend their GP more often. On average, they visited their GP on 4.6 occasions in the past year compared with private patients, who visited an average of 2.8 occasions.
The findings of the survey, which was conducted a year ago, were published by the Irish Medical News yesterday.
The president of the Irish Medical Organisation, Dr James Reilly, a GP, claimed the fees were very reasonable. "I can't see how GPs could provide a service for less than €35.
"In fact, I find it difficult to see how they can provide a service for that," he said.
"If you compare their fees to anybody else of similar training, such as dentists, solicitors, barristers, accountants and architects, they compare very favourably," he added.
However, he accepted €35 per visit was more than people on the minimum wage could afford and he said it was time the Government honoured its pledge to extend medical card eligibility to another 200,000 people. All people on the minimum wage should be entitled to a medical card, he said.
The chief executive of the Consumers' Association of Ireland, Mr Dermott Jewell, said he knew of many consumers who regularly paid their GP more than the average suggested in this survey. He said consumers would have more faith in a bigger survey carried out by an independent body.