Five GPs were paid a total of €3.3 million for their work in the medical card and other State schemes in 2011, according to latest HSE figures.

The five top earning GPs were paid sums from €616,000 up to €729,000 in 2011. These amounts included practice support grants, and allowances, as well as treatment fees, and would also go towards expenditure on practice staff and other expenses and overheads.

The top five payments were made to:

1. Dr Andrew Jordan in south-west Dublin, who received €729,485 (€727,992 ex. practice support grants)

2. Dr Catherine Coleman in north-west Dublin, who received €671,599 (€605,925 ex. practice support grants)

3. Dr Anthony Crosby in North Dublin, who got €662,335 (€594,914 ex. practice support grants).

4. Dr Anthony Delap in Donegal, who received €640,178 (€555,428 ex. practice support grants)

5. Dr Donal Coffey in Kerry, who got €616,013 (€488,504 ex. practice support grants).

However, although many GPs earned six-figure sums from the medical card and other State schemes, some GPs earned earned only three to four figure sums from these schemes in 2011, according to the statistics.

Two GPs earned only €5 each from State schemes in 2011, according to the HSE report.

Many GPs would have substantial private practices and would have relatively small medical card scheme earnings.

According to the HSE figures, the highest payment to a pharmacy in the country in 2011 was Aktc Ltd in Dublin south-west, which received €692,287 in payments under State schemes.

The dentist receiving the largest State payment in 2011 was Dr Shane Cadden in Mayo, who received €274,010 for work for the medical card dental scheme.

According to the HSE, total payments to healthcare professionals working for medical card and other State schemes in 2011 amounted to €2,427 million.