Prescription fee move condemned

Any Government move to introduce charges for medical card holders must be resisted, according to Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly.

He said it had been reported that proposals from "An Bord Snip Nua" on spending cuts being considered by the Government include imposing prescription charges on medical card holders.

"The Government cannot continue to make the poor pay for its own irresponsibility," Dr Reilly said.

He said it was bad enough that the income limit to qualify for a medical card was half the current minimum wage without the Government considering the imposition of charges on medical card holders for their medicines.

"This would be an attack on the vulnerable, would further reduce their family income which has already been hit by extra Government levies and will lead to people on lower incomes neglecting their health."

Dr Reilly stressed that in the NHS in Britain, prescription charges do not apply to the lower third of the population in terms of earnings and Northern Ireland has plans to abolish a similar charge.

He said substantial savings can be made on the State's drug bill by ending the "rip-off' prices the Government pays for medicines, and this should be pursued rather than "taking soft options like slashing entitlements at the front line for the growing numbers of unemployed, low income families and pensioners."

[Posted: Wed 15/07/2009]