SCRAP Prescription Charges
The weblog of the Scottish Campaign to Remove All Prescription Charges. Keeping you updated on all the news about Colin Fox MSP's bill to the Scottish Parliament.
Monday, December 12, 2005
MSPS IN MOVE TO END NHS CHARGES
The Daily Record - MSPS IN MOVE TO END NHS CHARGES
MSPS could back a move to scrap all prescription charges in Scotland.
The Welsh assembly have already agreed to reduce the charges by £1 a year until they are gone.
And Scottish Socialist leader Colin Fox is pushing ahead with a member's Bill for a similar move north of the Border.
He faces strong opposition from the Executive - but the Bill has cross-party support among backbench MSPs.
The Scottish parliament's health committee are due to decide tomorrow whether or not to back the Bill.
Yesterday, Fox accused the Executive of manipulating figures.
He said: "For months, they have been telling us it would cost £44million to scrap charges"But at the last meeting, the Executive suddenly claimed the bill wouldbe £76million.
"They claim there will be a rush on GPs' surgeries which will add £17million to the bill and a further £15million in administration costs. They have just plucked the figures out of the air.
"They have also claimed it means cuts elsewhere in the health service. But the budget is set to increase by seven per cent a year - and scrapping charges would cost less than half of one per cent of the NHS budget."
Fox cited the case of an asthma sufferer having to fork out £124 a month on prescriptions out of £359 incapacity benefit.
He added: "It is crazy to have someone forking out a third of the benefits they are supposed to live on to pay for prescriptions"
