The total payout to GPs for providing services under the medical card and other State schemes has increased by 3%, and the number of claims for out-of-hours services by GPs is also on the increase, according to latest figures.

Drug costs under State schemes are also on the increase, in spite of initiatives to to reduce these costs, new figures show.

Figures from the HSE's Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) also show that 39 medical card scheme GPs earned over €470,000 in 2012, compared to 23 in this income category in 2011.

Payments to GPs would in most cases include spending on practice staff, including assistant GPs and nurses.

The total payout in fees and allowances to GPs in 2012 was €483.14 million, compared to €469.4 million in 2011.

According to the PCRS, the number of out-of-hours claims by GPs increased from 804,670 to 861,133 in 2012.

The total State payout to pharmacists for drug dispensing in 2012 was €1.53 billion compared to €1.47 billion in 2011. This includes the cost of the drugs dispensed, dispensing fees and VAT.

A total of 416 pharmacists received over €240,000 in 2012 for dispensing drugs to patients under the medical card  and other State schemes.

The average cost to the State of drugs dispensed under these schemes  amounted to €20.64 per dispensed item.

Dentists received €63.6 million in 2012 compared to €52.2 million in 2011 for medical card scheme treatments.