A doctor has explained how people can save money on vital prescriptions if they are struggling financially.
On Friday morning, Dr Amir Khan appeared on ITV's Lorraine show and said it was "heartbreaking" when patients couldn't afford their life-saving medicines. He went on to discuss ways patients could save money on their prescriptions.
He advised that people should consider purchasing a prescription pre-payment certificate, which allows you to get unlimited prescriptions for a set price. Dr Khan said: "So many people are struggling with the cost of prescriptions for lifesaving drugs.
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"I can't tell you how heartbreaking it is to sit in my surgery with someone having an asthma attack and ask them why aren't they using their preventer inhaler, and them say that they can't afford it. These are life-saving medicines."
Dr Khan revealed that England is the only country in the UK where people have to pay prescription charges, something that he believes is wrong, reports Yorkshire Live. He said: "We need to help people. I don't think there should be prescription charges anywhere, we're not going to solve that today but I want to put that out there."
He said that, for people who are "really struggling", pre-payment certificates can offer a vital lifeline. He has advised people to ask their pharmacists about these if they need repeat prescriptions.
The pre-payment certificate (PPC) covers all of your prescriptions for a set price, this means that you will save money if you need more than three items in a three-month period, and more than 11 items in a 12-month period.
The prescription charge in England is currently £9.35 per item. But a PPC costs:
- £30.25 for 3 months
- £108.10 for 12 months
Dr Khan said this makes it "a lot cheaper than paying for each individual item". But, he added: "Really, we should abolish prescription charges."
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