More than an additional 2,000 people in Clare qualified for the medical card this year.
Figures from the HSE show that a total of 41,428 people in the county are currently in possession of the card.
HSE monthly eligibility reports show that over 53,593 people in Clare qualified for free GP care this month.
Of those, over 41,000 hold a full medical card, while the remaining just over 12,000 people are in possession of a GP visit card.
The total number eligible for free GP care has increased with the extension of the GP visit card to all children aged 6 and 7 set to be completed by the end of the year.
Additionally, the figures in Clare are set to rise further next year when the support is extended to those who earn the median household income of €46,000 or less.
The largest cohort of medical card holders in the Banner are over 75, however, the second-largest age group to possess the card in the county are those between 45 and 54.
More than 22,000 women are medical card patients in Clare – nearly 19% higher than the almost 19,000 men.
