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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8104142.stm
Tories to end free prescriptions
The Welsh Conservative pledge to abolish free prescriptions for all if they get into power
The party says those who can afford it should pay a modest charge in view of the huge financial pressures on the Welsh NHS.
Free prescriptions began two years ago and the policy is being copied in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Welsh Assembly Government said the policy was a long-term investment in improving health.
The Conservatives say the health service cannot afford to subsidise those who can afford to contribute.
Tory health spokesman Andrew RT Davies said: "Everyone in Wales knows that because of Labour's debt crisis, our public services are under massive pressure.
"So it's only fair that to protect those who really need help and to improve services that have been allowed to decline under Labour, we ask those who can afford it to make a contribution."
He added the same people who were eligible for free prescriptions prior to the universal policy would qualify, as would cancer patients.
Charges would also be lower than when they were abolished, and money raised would be ring-fenced for the health budget.
Conservative leader Nick Bourne said: "Free prescriptions are not, and never will be, 'free' in the true sense of the word.
"We are all paying for them by sacrificing money from elsewhere within a health budget stretched to the limit after 10 years of Labour in Wales.
"We currently have a palliative care system which our own health minister admits is 'patchy' and stroke services described by an expert in the field as 'scandalously bad'."
The assembly government said in a statement: "GPs use their discretion in determining what medication is prescribed based on the patient's clinical needs to avoid the risk of people trying to abuse free prescriptions.
"Free prescriptions are a long-term investment in improving health. If people aren't put off seeking the appropriate care, due to financial reasons, their health will improve.
"If patients are able to get the treatment they need, it will ultimately help to reduce the long term cost to the health service.
"They remove the unfairness in the previous system where people with conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, or those who have had an organ transplant were not entitled to free prescriptions, despite being able to benefit significantly from them."
Tories to end free prescriptions
The Welsh Conservative pledge to abolish free prescriptions for all if they get into power
The party says those who can afford it should pay a modest charge in view of the huge financial pressures on the Welsh NHS.
Free prescriptions began two years ago and the policy is being copied in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Welsh Assembly Government said the policy was a long-term investment in improving health.
The Conservatives say the health service cannot afford to subsidise those who can afford to contribute.
Tory health spokesman Andrew RT Davies said: "Everyone in Wales knows that because of Labour's debt crisis, our public services are under massive pressure.
"So it's only fair that to protect those who really need help and to improve services that have been allowed to decline under Labour, we ask those who can afford it to make a contribution."
He added the same people who were eligible for free prescriptions prior to the universal policy would qualify, as would cancer patients.
Charges would also be lower than when they were abolished, and money raised would be ring-fenced for the health budget.
Conservative leader Nick Bourne said: "Free prescriptions are not, and never will be, 'free' in the true sense of the word.
"We are all paying for them by sacrificing money from elsewhere within a health budget stretched to the limit after 10 years of Labour in Wales.
"We currently have a palliative care system which our own health minister admits is 'patchy' and stroke services described by an expert in the field as 'scandalously bad'."
The assembly government said in a statement: "GPs use their discretion in determining what medication is prescribed based on the patient's clinical needs to avoid the risk of people trying to abuse free prescriptions.
"Free prescriptions are a long-term investment in improving health. If people aren't put off seeking the appropriate care, due to financial reasons, their health will improve.
"If patients are able to get the treatment they need, it will ultimately help to reduce the long term cost to the health service.
"They remove the unfairness in the previous system where people with conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, or those who have had an organ transplant were not entitled to free prescriptions, despite being able to benefit significantly from them."
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