England remains the only country in the UK still stumping up for the ‘tax’ on medicines.
The latest figures for 2012 show that 80 per cent of those aged 18 to 59 had to pay for their drugs.
The £8.05 charge compares starkly with the cost of many commonly prescribed drugs that are now off patent, according to Dr James Cave, editor of the journal Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.
There are a host of exemptions to the charge – including age and pregnancy – but these extend to unrelated conditions. In an editorial, Dr Cave said many exemptions appear ‘illogical’.
He added: ‘It is time that politicians showed their commitment to a patient-centred NHS and abolished prescription charges in England.’
The prescription charge has long been a contentious issue, says DTB, and even contributed to the resignation of Aneurin Bevan, the architect of the NHS, in 1951.
[via - dailymail.co.uk]