Darren Millar
Welsh Conservatives today warned that Labour’s universal free prescriptions policy may be becoming increasingly unaffordable as figures show another rise in the number of prescriptions dispensed by GPs in Wales.
Almost 25 prescriptions were dispensed per person in Wales last year – a third more than in some other parts of the UK.
18.6 items were dispensed in Scotland, 19.1 in England and 21.1 in Northern Ireland.
Labour’s universal free prescriptions policy was introduced in April 2007. Since then the number of dispensed prescriptions has risen by 23% to 76.3million items.
Under Labour’s policy, millionaires can get free paracetamol, athlete’s foot powder and mouth ulcer gels, but Labour Ministers say they can’t afford to end the postcode lottery in access to cancer medicines by setting up a Cancer Treatments Fund.
Welsh Conservatives have pledged to reverse the policy to introduce a small charge for those who can afford to make a contribution towards the cost of their prescriptions and reinstate all the previous exemptions in addition to new exclusions for those with chronic medical conditions.
Darren Millar AM, Shadow Minister for Health, said: “These figures show another rise in the number of free prescriptions being dispensed in Wales, at a time when Labour Ministers have chosen to make record-breaking cuts to the NHS budget, are closing community hospitals and are downgrading A&E departments.
“Labour can no longer hoodwink the Welsh public by promising freebie gimmicks when the reality is that nothing is free.
“Money spent on prescriptions for the wealthy and those who can afford to make a contribution is money that can’t be spent improving access to cancer medicines or investing in our NHS.
“It is morally wrong that a millionaire in Wales could get free paracetamol and athlete’s foot powder for free yet cancer patients are seven times less likely to be able to access different life-extending medicines on the Welsh NHS.
“Labour’s freebie policy has devalued medicines and led to more prescriptions being wasted because they have no perceived value.
“The policy gives a perverse incentive to people to fill up GP surgeries to get medicines which they could pick up for a very small price in a local supermarket or pharmacy.
“At a time when Labour’s NHS budget cuts continue to constrain capacity and put pressure on frontline staff, this freebie gimmick is increasingly unaffordable.
“After 15 years of successive Labour governments, Wales is more dependent on prescriptions than ever before, and more than any other part of the UK.
“Labour Ministers need to start addressing the root causes of chronic ill-health and reverse this unsustainable and morally questionable freebie policy.”
