The move follows the Minister’s earlier announcement and means that prescriptions will be free of charge by April 2010.
He said: “When I announced my intention to end prescription charging in September, it was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. The approval today by the Executive is very welcome and will bring great comfort to thousands of people.
“For too many years, people in Northern Ireland have been living with a system which is inequitable and unjust and meant that one person’s suffering is ranked above another’s. It is simply unacceptable that people who have to cope with the burden of ill health should have the additional anxiety of trying to find the money to pay for much needed medication which they cannot afford. This is totally against the principles of the NHS which promises free health services to all.
“The introduction of free prescriptions was a commitment that I made in one of my earliest debates in the Assembly. My decision to introduce free prescriptions is also based on the hundreds of letters and calls I received from patients who were calling for relief from the unnecessary hardship of paying for prescriptions.
“The cost of prescription charging will be met from within the existing budgets. No existing services will suffer as a result of this decision. In addition, processes will be put in place to ensure that prescribing rates are kept within acceptable limits. Healthcare professionals must practise responsible prescribing and the public must play a part by only taking medication if they really need it.”
The cost of a prescription will be reduced to only £3 in January 2009 and then will be free of charge by April 2010. Prepayment certificates will also come down in price, from £35.85 to £9 for four months and from £98.70 to £25 for 12 months until prescriptions are free.
Notes to editors:
1. In 2006/07 there were over 16million prescription forms issued to patients which resulted in almost 30million prescription items being dispensed. This equates to an average of 17 prescription items per person.
2. Currently the prescription charge is £6.85 for each item dispensed. Earlier this year, the Minister decided to freeze prescription charges at last year’s price whilst he decided on the way forward.
3. There are exemptions from prescription charges which come under a number of different categories, the main ones are:
- Age
- Medical condition
- Income
- Maternity certificates
- Contraceptives
4. A cost and benefit review group was established following an Assembly debate on prescription charging last May. The review group included pharmacists, doctors and, most importantly, patient representatives.
5. The evidence and findings from the situations in other parts of the UK helped to inform the DHSSPS review. In Wales, prescription charges were abolished in April last year while the Scottish Executive has decided to introduce a phased abolition of prescription charges so that by 2011, there will be no charges for prescriptions. England also recently announced it will be abolishing prescriptions for cancer patients from next year.
6. Currently, the income from prescription charges amounts to around £13million each year. That must be set in relief against the £360million that is spent on medicines prescribed by GPs. Of that £360million, only a small proportion, around 3·5%, is recovered.
7. Additionally, each year, hospital consultants prescribe approximately £100million worth of drugs, all of which are free to patients.
8. Media queries to Clare Baxter, DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0636 or mobile 07919 400248.
