Health Minister Stephen Donnelly was criticised after his appearance on Virgin Media's Tonight Show as viewers shared their outrage over one comment.
Minister Donnelly appeared on the programme to discuss the situation with Covid-19 as well as the potential easing of restrictions.
On Wednesday, it was announced that a pandemic 'bonus' of €1,000 will be paid to frontline workers.
Among the 100,000 eligible recipients are staff who were exposed to Covid-19 in hospital settings employed by the HSE, as well as cleaners, porters, swabbers in Covid labs, some Defence Force members and ambulance staff, as well as student nurses
Frontline staff working in nursing homes and hospices are also eligible for the payment.
After the announcement, Family Carers Ireland called on the government to recognise "the vital role of family carers during Covid-19 in helping to keep loved ones safe" by extending the bonus to all full-time family carers.
“What strikes me most is that this is yet again another missed opportunity to show family carers, once and for all, that the Government recognises their value and contribution in society and acknowledge them as the forgotten frontline workers that they are," the group said.
Addressing the issue on the Tonight Show, Minister Donnelly explained that the €1,000 payment is "specifically for healthcare workers within the public system" who worked in higher-risk settings.
"This payment is specifically for healthcare workers within the public system largely who went into higher-risk environments," he said.
"So they will be workers right across the country - people who drove buses, people who went and worked in the shops and made sure there was food on the shelves.
"There were a lot of people who will rightly say, 'We contributed', and they did, but this is just a payment for those women and men who day after day went into those higher-risk settings.”
He was then asked by presenter Claire Brock whether 'homecare workers' would be recognised in the payment scheme.
Minister Donnelly replied: "No, they're working within their own homes, they're working within family homes.
"But carers who are fulfilling HSE roles, homecare packages funded by government, funded by the HSE, they will be covered."
He added that family carers would not be forgotten, which attracted criticism from some viewers at home.
One person said: "Stephen Donnelly the Health Minister of this current Govt has just said on #TonightVMTV that 'Family Carers are never forgotten' - so insulting because they are & have been for years! Jesus wept."
A second said: "Stephen Donnelly confirms stay at home care workers will be ignored once again. #TonightVMTV."
A third person wrote: "So staff within HSE homecare packages will receive the bonus payment but the family carers carrying out the SAME JOB in the SAME HOUSE as those homecare staff won't. Make that make sense to me please Minister. #TonightVMTV.
"These famillies covered 100s of hours of shifts for free when those staff weren't here. Im 1 of those parents. We've had 8 shifts covered out of the last 30. We don't get the bonus. The staff that weren't here, will. Is what has just been said Make it make sense. #TonightVMTV."
Another person said: "Home carers masked and gowned up all day in their own homes.. 24/7 Bank Holiday means nothing. A lot of carers are unpaid."
While someone else stated: "Watching Donelly now....squirming at the questions...who were more isolated than the family carers...services withdrawn etc....another slap in the face."
One Twitter use posted a laughing Gif alongside the comment: "'Family carers are never forgotten' says Minister Donnelly #TonightVMTV."
