Who says it is a NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE?

[anotheoldgit]

For how much longer have the English people got to accept that health care in England is dearer than anywhere else in this myth of a United Kingdom?

From today it is only the English that will have to pay £7.40 per prescription item, an increase this year of 20p.

By paying this the English are subsiding free drugs for the rest of the UK, how can this be fair?

/// Ministers claim that it is not possible for England to abolish the charges because it would leave the NHS with debts of £450million a year.///

Yet they are perfectly happy to spend' £7.8 billion' on overseas aid.

This is the country that will also cut their pensioners winter fuel allowance, and then watch some die of hypothermia, because they can't afford to have their heating on.

Spend this 37.8 billion on propping up the NHS, and paying our pensioners enough to heat their homes.

Charity 'should' begin at home.

[rov1100]

I don't know if its a coincidence but my wife can't even get a GPs appointment in April. The Tories may not be totally responsible but their encouragement of private health treatment is well known. Stories are coming out about the NHS drugs bill and how they are trying to wean patients off expensive drugs onto fake micky mouse alternatives. Of course the GPs will be blamed but they are under orders by central government. N.I.C.E. will get less so when they clamp down on current available medicines.

[Sqad]

rov

<<<<< but their encouragement of private health treatment is well known. <<<<

Is it? I didn´t know that. They could really "encourage" it by allowing Private Health Insurance subscriptions to be set against tax........then you might convince me.

<<<Of course the GPs will be blamed but they are under orders by central government. <<<<

Nonsense, the Government might "suggest" what should be prescribed, but the final say is with the GP´s except of course for certain cancer drugs of questionable benefits.

[Red_John]

I tried that Boxtops, the doc wrote me a private prescription, I went to the chemis and they charged me £5 administration charge for handling a private prescription! You can't win!

[gina32]

red john and pixi, just because you dont see people actually handing over hard cash doesnt mean they dont pay for the prescription, i have a pre-payment card so all my details are on computer and therefore i dont have to show my card

[THECORBYLOON]

The Scotland Act 1998 defines what is meant by Scotland as “includes so much of the internal waters and territorial sea of the United Kingdom as are adjacent to Scotland” and the Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Order 1999 gives the co-ordinates.

The fields I was talking about are IN Scotland.