Long-term ill should receive free prescriptions, report claims

Patients with long-term health conditions such as Parkinson's disease should be eligible for free prescriptions for drugs needed to treat their symptoms.

This is the according to a review of prescription charges conducted by Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians.

The report was commissioned by the Labour government, but it was never published as the financial crisis hit.

With the new government desperately trying to cut costs, health minister Simon Burns has admitted that prescription charges will not even be reviewed until the autumn at the earliest.

Reacting to the news, Parkinson's UK chief executive Steve Ford said that there have in the past been calls from all three major political parties, including the current prime minister and deputy prime minister, to provide free prescriptions.

"People with Parkinson's have waited too long for free prescriptions. It's vital that there is no more waiting, and the coalition upholds its stance on prescription charges as soon as possible," he added.

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