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BMA: End all prescription charges
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Failing to abolish prescription charges for all patients will lead to an arbitrary system of "winners and losers", doctors' leaders have said.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said the Government in England should follow the example of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and make prescriptions free for everyone.
Charging people can act as a disincentive to them taking medications necessary for their health, it added.
A Government review of payments for prescriptions is currently ongoing with a view to extending the list of conditions currently exempt from payment.
At present, exempt conditions include people with Type 1 diabetes, hypoparathyroidism, a permanent fistula like a colostomy which requires surgical dressing, and epilepsy that requires continuous medication. People aged 60 or over, under-16s, those aged 16 to 18 in full-time education, people on benefits and pregnant women are also exempt.
Disabled people who cannot go out without help, NHS inpatients and people on certain benefits also do not have to pay. From next month, cancer patients will also get free prescriptions, even for medication not related to their disease.
The BMA published its submission to the Government's review, calling for all remaining charges to be scrapped. It said extending the current list of exemptions without a fundamental overhaul of the whole system would simply "create a new set of arbitrary 'winners and losers'." It said the current system is "outdated, iniquitous, and detrimental to the health of many patients".
BMA chairman, Dr Hamish Meldrum, said: "Free prescriptions for people with long-term conditions is a laudable aim, but it does not go far enough. The system we have at the moment isn't working, and is unfair on many patients."
Public health minister Dawn Primarolo said: "In England, 89% of prescription items are dispensed for free, the remainder provide valuable income to the NHS, of £437 million in 2009/10, which goes towards to the safety and speed of healthcare. But we are making the system fairer. Cancer patients will be eligible for free prescriptions from April 1 this year and we're looking at how we can do the same for people with long-term conditions."
The current cost of a prescription is £7.10 per item.
Reader views (3)
There are winners and losers in everything you care to think of. In fact, half the country are keeping the other half. Time the half that keep shelling out got some perks back. I for one am sick of paying all kinds of taxes when I have to pay in full for everything like prescription charges when my NI and tax contributions should suffice. I'm sure there are others like me, who have worked full time all their lives and have never taken a penny out the pot, unlike some who live from cradle to the grave on the backs of others contributions.
- Sue, Orpington, Kent, 05/03/2009 10:59
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As someone who has a chronic heart condition who isn't entitled to free prescriptions, I applaud the BMA
in their statement that all prescriptions should be free to all. Certainly for people like myself who have a chronic condition through no fault of their own and who will be on lifelong medication. Although the prescription prepayment certificate is available for people like myself why should some people pay and not others? How can some chronic conditions be covered and not others by the free prescription scheme.
- A Patiant, London, UK, 05/03/2009 09:35
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This is the wrong approach. Instead of charging a limited set of people £7.10 per item, remove the exceptions and charge more people a lower fee. The amount raised from prescription charges at £437m is a mere drop in the ocean when considering the £100bn+ year bill for the NHS. It represents just less than 0.5% of the budget.
- Adam, Harrow, UK, 05/03/2009 09:33
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