Tories drop opposition to free prescriptions
THE Scottish Tories have performed a U-turn by backing free prescriptions.
Ruth Davidson has binned her long-time opposition to the policy in a clear sign she has set her sights on being First Minister.
However, a Conservative government at Holyrood would stop headache tablets, shampoo, toothpaste and sun cream from being handed out free on the NHS.
A party review will also consider whether prescribing generic drugs and doing more to cut waste could save cash.
Opponents described the U-turn as ‘humiliating’.
Each year £10.5 million is spent by the NHS on paracetamol, £2.9 million on aspirin, £1.6 million on sun cream and £1.8 million on shampoo. The Tories also believe £35 million could be saved by limiting prescriptions to generic medicines and reducing waste. That could mean more than £50 million is shaved off the £1.3 billion bill for dispensing 100 million items every year.
The party believes even more money can be saved by keeping people out of hospitals and GP surgeries.
Scottish Tory health spokesman Donald Cameron said: ‘People in Scotland value the idea of free prescriptions. We have listened to them and changed our policy.
‘This is really about the future of the NHS. It means thinking about when prescriptions are the right answer and when they’re not. It can’t be right that the NHS spends £10 million a year on over-the-counter drugs like paracetamol. We need a comprehensive review of how drugs, medicines and prescriptions fit into the future of care.
‘Our health advisory board will carry out that work and will report back well in advance of the next Holyrood elections.’
Last year, Miss Davidson argued for prescription charges of up to ‘about £8’. In 2014 she pledged to scrap free prescriptions to fund 1,000 extra nurses and midwives.
She has also insisted it is wrong for high earners, such as herself and the First Minister, to receive free prescriptions.
Her changed position is an admission she was on the wrong side of popular option and a clear sign she wants to appeal to voters.
Miss Davidson said: ‘We’ve shown from the increase in our vote from last year to this that people are looking at us and saying they like us as a strong opposition, they like what we’re doing. The challenge for us now is to show we can be a credible alternative government for Scotland.’
Scottish Labour health spokesman Anas Sarwar said: ‘Ruth Davidson has shown once again she will do and say anything to try to get elected – but even now she won’t fully commit to ensuring everyone has access to the medicine they need.
‘All this humiliating shift shows is that once again the Tories simply can’t be trusted on the NHS.’
Alex Salmond, who introduced free prescriptions when First Minister, said: ‘The SNP’s flagship free prescriptions policy has been an overwhelming success and is one of the reasons that people continue to put their trust in the SNP.’