England defies calls for abolition of prescription charges
This article was originally published in Scrip
The Department of Health plans to raise prescription charges in England from April 1st, which goes against calls from the British Medical Association (BMA) to follow Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and abolish prescription charges entirely.
Prescription charges will increase by 10 pence, bringing the charge to £7.20. In justification of this increase, health minister, Dawn Primarolo, comments: "In England 89%of prescription items are dispensed for free; the remainder provide valuable income to the NHS".
However, the department has also implemented a prescription charge exemption for those being treated for cancer, the effects of cancer and the effects of cancer treatments, saving cancer patients an estimated £100 per year.
The BMA told Scrip that while it welcomes the exemption for cancer patients, there needs to be "a fundamental overhaul of the whole system". Before the announced changes only 11% of prescriptions were charged, according to the BMA. "The complex and often arbitrary nature of the list of exemptions, and the fact that a smaller and smaller percentage of prescriptions attract a charge, add to the case for free prescriptions for all patients," the BMA adds.