Scotland's health minister is expected to reveal her detailed plans to abolish prescription charges.
It is thought that the charge will be stopped immediately for people with chronic health conditions.
Nicola Sturgeon is expected to say that they will be phased out for everyone else over the next three years.
The move is similar to developments in Wales where prescription charges were gradually reduced from 2000 and abolished altogether this year.
In Scotland, the cost of phasing out the charges over the next three years could be about £97m.
In January last year, MSPs voted to keep prescription charges, after a debate at Holyrood.
A motion to abolish the charge was proposed by the Scottish Socialists and supported by the SNP and the Greens, but it was defeated by 77 votes to 44.
10 Replies
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When will it be stopped for those with chronic health conditions? Do they know yet?
Brittle asthmatic, Edinburgh
Anyone who wonders why you still pay prescription charges in England (and that there's no sign of them being abolished) need only look to the fact that it will cost £97million over just three years to phase them out in Scotland.
The population of England is roughly ten times the size of the population of Scotland - so an estimate of £970million (or just under £1billion!) to phase out prescription charges south of the border... not going to happen.
just a wee postscript to the subject about prescription charges..seems the Scottish Government have now changed their minds about the timescale involved but from next April it looks as though chronically ill patients are going to benefit financially in respect of pre payment certificates....see below
Scottish ministers have decided against immediately scrapping prescription charges for the chronically ill.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon instead announced a series of cuts in the charges, ahead of their planned abolition in 2011.
She told MSPs they were a ""tax on ill health"", while Labour has expressed reservations about the move.
The cost of a single prescription is to be cut by more than 25% in 2008, followed by further yearly reductions.
The SNP manifesto promised to ""immediately abolish"" prescription charges for people with chronic conditions, cancer and for those in full-time education or training.
Ms Sturgeon said the cost of pre-payment certificates - which cover a person's prescription costs over a 12-month period - would be cut from almost £100 to under £50 from next April, to benefit people suffering from chronic and long-term conditions.
I TAKE IT THAT MEANS ASTHMATICS AMONGST OTHERS?
Hi,
I'm very lucky, I live in France,and I have no prescription charges, because if you need drugs to sustain life the goverment pays all the cost. I my case it about 550 pounds a year
woohoo! where to go to uni... wales or scotland...?
Wales - all free there!
only to under 25's...not unless it's changed in the last 3 months that I've been gone
Sorry Shadz, but you're mistaken. There have been no prescription charges in Wales whatsoever since 1st April 2007.
This from the NHS Wales website:
""How Much do I pay for NHS Prescriptions
As from April 1st 2007 the NHS prescription charge in Wales will be abolished for people in Wales.
Who is entitled to free prescriptions?
* All patients registered with a Welsh GP, who get their prescriptions from a Welsh pharmacist, will be entitled to free prescriptions.
* Welsh patients who have an English GP and who get their prescriptions from a Welsh pharmacist will still be entitled to free prescriptions. They will need to present their prescription with an accompanying entitlement card.
* Along with free prescriptions, charges for wigs and appliances will also be abolished. Patients who receive these services from an English NHS Trust should have their costs met by their Local Health Board.
Really???? How come I didn't hear about that - and I was still living in the country at that point!
I suppose I already got them free cos I was under 25 already - I had to tick the box for under 25 and living in Wales anyway....
I'm in Preston now...I'm so glad of my HC2!
I've no idea, especially considering how well it was publicised in England...! I assume that the doctors' prescription forms dated from before the charge was abolished, and thus still had ""how are you paying for this script"" tick boxes on the back.
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