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Macmillan's response to the Scottish Government's plans to abolish prescription charges by 2011.
12 December 2007
On 5 December the Scottish Government unveiled proposals to abolish prescription charges. In April of next year (2008) prescription charges will be reduced to £5, with further phased reduction towards a total abolition of the charges in 2011. People with chronic or long-term conditions will benefit from a cut in the cost of prescription pre-payment certificates.
Elspeth Atkinson, Macmillan Cancer Support Director for Scotland said:
'No-one should have to bear the financial burden of prescription charges for essential medicines to treat their illness and to help them deal with the distressing side-effects of treatment. Macmillan Cancer Support welcomes the Government's proposals to put an end to this unfair charge, although we are disappointed that they have rejected the immediate abolition of charges for people with chronic conditions. It is vital that the Government ensures the effective promotion of the availability of pre-payment certificates as currently too many people are not aware of their existence. We're delighted that, from April 2011, Scotland will no longer be the kind of country where someone with cancer has to choose between prescriptions because they can't afford to pay for them.'
Have you had to pay for prescriptions to treat cancer or its side effects? We'd like to hear from you. Please email campaigns@macmillan.org.uk
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