Thousands of additional carers are now eligible for free GP care, the Department of Health has said.

Since September 1, all carers who are in receipt of either full or half rate Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit, and who do not currently hold a medical card or GP visit card, are now eligible for free GP care.

According to the department, this will see an additional 14,000 carers being given free access to their GP.

The HSE has established an online system for carers to register for their free GP visit card here. Paper registration forms are also available from local Citizen Advice Centres, or they can be downloaded here.

Completed registration forms will be processed within 15 working days.

Moira Skelly from Dublin cares for her 23-year-old daughter, Ciara, who has a type of epilepsy that does not respond to medication.

"Being a carer is more than a full time job, it is 24/7. Ciara's intellectual and physical disabilities means she needs 24-hour care. It's rare that I get a full nights' sleep, so it's fair to say that I have been tired for 23 years," Ms Skelly explained.

She said that like many other carers, she gave up work to look after her daughter and because there is only one income coming into the house, ‘you really have to watch your money'.

"Caring for Ciara is physically very demanding, I wash her, dress and feed her. I would often put off going to the GP to get pains checked out. Having access to free GP services is a step in the right direction. It gives me one less thing to worry about," she added.

For more information, click here, or call 1890 252 919, Monday to Friday between 8am and 8pm.