Doctor backs call for free prescriptions

A local doctors’ leader has backed the call for the abolition of prescription charges in England, saying scrapping them is the only fair answer for everyone.

Dr Kailash Chand spoke out in support of the British Medical Association (BMA), which is criticising a move by the Department of Health to review the list of long-term conditions which are exempt from prescription charges.

The BMA says that extending the list of conditions for which people get free prescriptions without a fundamental overhaul of the whole system will merely create a new arbitrary system of “winners and losers.”

Dr Chand, secretary of West Pennine Local Medical Committee and North West member of the BMA’s national council, said free prescriptions for people with long-term conditions was a laudable aim, but said it did not go far enough.

He said: “The system we have at the moment isn’t working, and is unfair on many patients.

“Making the list of exemptions longer will not make it fairer. Ultimately, we could end up with a situation where only a tiny proportion of prescriptions attract a charge, which would be nonsensical.

“Abolishing prescription charges altogether is the fairest and the simplest option.”

He highlighted the injustice of people with conditions such as asthma and heart disease, who may require medication over a prolonged period, but are not exempt, and of people of low incomes who are penalised because they earn just about the levels required to trigger exemptions.

Dr Chand said the BMA argues that prescription charges can act as a disincentive to taking essential medication, and that scrapping them altogether could have benefits to society as a whole as well as for individuals.

It could, he said, cut hospital admissions, and help people return to work more quickly following illness.

The cost of a prescription in England will rise from £7.10 to £7.20 from 1 April.