Number of medical cards and percentage of the population in each county covered by medical cards, 2000-2004
Health Board/Regional Authority and County Number of persons (including dependants) covered by medical cards on 31 December Percentage of population covered by medical cards on 31 December
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Eastern
Dublin 265,767 287,198 277,378 274,192 274,097 25.11 27.14 24.71 24.42 24.41
Kildare 35,006 38,373 37,973 37,304 37,516 25.93 28.43 23.15 22.75 22.88
Wicklow 32,617 31,605 28,919 28,225 27,861 31.76 30.78 25.21 24.61 24.30
Midland
Laois 18,098 18,580 17,926 17,347 17,320 34.18 35.09 30.52 29.51 29.47
Longford 12,557 12,890 12,499 12,171 12,412 41.63 42.73 40.15 39.18 39.95
Offaly 20,086 20,218 19,303 19,001 19,158 33.98 34.20 30.30 29.85 30.09
Westmeath 20,662 21,169 20,929 20,556 20,882 32.63 33.43 29.06 28.61 29.06
Mid Western
Clare 29,543 31,191 29,620 30,483 30,796 31.43 33.18 28.66 29.52 29.82
Limerick 47,852 52,298 50,370 49,195 49,825 28.99 31.69 28.70 28.06 28.42
Tipperary (NR) 18,216 19,464 19,105 19,159 19,087 31.40 33.55 31.28 31.40 31.29
North Eastern
Cavan 19,117 19,252 19,124 18,907 18,404 37.00 37.26 33.90 33.44 33.25
Louth 36,337 36,740 37,486 36,478 35,243 39.43 39.86 36.82 35.83 34.61
Meath 30,934 30,954 30,550 31,394 30,897 28.19 28.21 22.81 23.43 23.06
Monaghan 18,835 18,301 17,285 16,776 16,520 36.71 35.67 32.75 31.90 31.41
North Western
Donegal 66,577 66,300 65,734 66,987 67,393 51.22 51.00 47.85 48.69 48.99
Leitrim 11,555 11,539 11,476 11,236 11,368 43.88 43.81 44.45 43.55 42.12
Sligo 19,769 19,998 19,714 19,658 19,339 35.41 35.83 33.89 33.78 33.23
South Eastern
Carlow 15,967 16,364 16,008 15,645 15,553 38.37 39.32 34.92 34.00 33.80
Kilkenny 19,779 20,609 20,152 198,809 19,720 32.51 33.88 25.06 24.66 24.55
Tipperary (SR) 26,462 26,931 28,607 28,840 28,592 32.83 33.41 36.11 36.45 36.14
Waterford 35,087 37,159 34,955 34,523 34,621 33.71 35.70 34.43 34.00 34.09
Wexford 38,250 39,828 38,878 39,246 39,590 36.65 38.16 33.36 33.66 33.95
Southern
Cork 126,858 135,132 133,236 132,541 131,248 30.17 32.14 29.73 29.60 29.31
Kerry 43,071 45,074 43,189 42,381 41,589 34.15 35.74 32.61 31.98 31.38
Western
Galway 67,750 70,394 68,293 67,244 66,444 35.87 37.27 32.70 32.16 31.78
Mayo 50,728 50,999 49,660 48,680 47,927 45.49 45.73 42.29 41.45 40.81
Roscommon 20,575 20,894 20,376 20,165 19,881 39.59 40.20 37.87 37.50 36.97

Source: General Medical Services (Payments) Board