Report to the People
30th January 2006
The
Right
Prescription
Whether it’s 2 for 1 pizzas
at the supermarket, or the kids going on the family holiday for free, we all
like to think we’re getting something for nothing.
So it’s no surprise that,
at first glance anyway, the bid to give everyone free prescriptions looked
popular. Equally unsurprising is
that everyone agrees the current system can’t continue.
At the moment, 92% of
prescriptions are free. Pensioners,
children, people with certain illnesses and others already get their
prescriptions for nothing. And
those of us who do pay the (subsidised) charge can, if we need a lot of
medication, buy an annual “season ticket” which works out at about 25p a
day.
But there are problems.
The exemption system is riddled with anomalies.
People with certain common chronic conditions, like diabetes, are exempt
while those with other conditions, like asthma, are not.
And being exempt means all your prescriptions are free. So, if you’re diabetic and you need prescription
painkillers, you get them free. But
if you’re asthmatic, you need to pay. Hardly
fair or sensible.
Where MSPs differ is on how
we solve this. I want these unfair
anomalies sorted out and work is underway to do this.
But,
unlike those behind the prescription charges bill, I don’t want to squander anywhere between £44 million and
£100 million on giving free prescriptions to the rich. They already have the best access to medicines and medics, so
why would we, instead of ending that injustice, make it worse?
Back to Current Reports to the People
[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Report to the People ] [ Interact ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]
[ Copyright ] [ Directgov ] [ Scottish Parliament ]