Prescription fees freeze welcome, now where is the study into scrapping them?

10.10.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 2nd Apr 2008

Alliance Health Spokesperson Kieran McCarthy MLA

Alliance Health Spokesperson Kieran McCarthy MLA has backed the freeze on prescription charges but demanded that the cost-benefit analysis into scrapping them be published urgently by the Health Minister. The Alliance Party secured the promise of a cost-benefit analysis from the Minister Michael McGimpsey in a debate they proposed in the Assembly last year.

Kieran McCarthy MLA said: "It's good news that prescription charges have been frozen, but we are still waiting for the Health Minister to release the cost-benefit analysis on scrapping these fees.

"Alliance brought this issue to the floor of the Assembly in our motion last year. We secured a promise from the Minister that he would conduct this study, and we will apply pressure on the Minister until we get the results of this analysis.

"This charges freeze has come, I believe, due to the pressure that Alliance has put on Michael McGimpsey on this matter.

"Prescription charges hit people with cancer very hard because they constantly have to foot heavy bills for repeat prescriptions. We need to see the cost-benefit analysis into scrapping the fees published urgently because the Health Minister is talking to long to make a decision on this important issue."

ENDS