England should follow the example of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, and abolish all prescription charges, the BMA has commented.
Calls to end prescription charges
The Department of Health is currently reviewing the list of long-term conditions that are exempt from prescription charges. In its submission to the review, the BMA said that extending exemptions without a fundamental overhaul of the whole system will simply “create a new set of arbitrary ‘winners’ and ‘losers’”. The BMA believes that the current system is “outdated, iniquitous, and detrimental to the health of many patients”. It questions the value of expanding the list of exemptions, given the complexities involved, and the fact that only 11% of prescriptions currently attract a charge – a figure which will soon drop further with the abolition of charges for cancer patients. Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of council at the BMA, 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''
