Ulster Unionist Party health spokesperson Roy Beggs MLA has criticised Edwin Poots for capitalising on the debate around funding for specialist cancer drugs by using it as an opportunity to promote the unrelated issue of reintroducing prescription charges. 

The East Antrim MLA said;

“It is totally unfair that cancer patients in Northern Ireland do not have the same range of drugs available as those in England.  This is despite the Health Minister receiving almost £3m a year from the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme.  My Party has been saying for some time that this postcode lottery needed to be brought to an end and that a dedicated specialist drugs fund was the way to do it.  

“Unfortunately however the Minister has waited until the last year in his 4 year budget to remark that reintroducing prescription charges could mean some cancer patients could get these invaluable drugs.

“It is shameful that the Minister has sought to tie the two issues together. It is simply opportunism on his part.

“This is not the first time that the Minister has sought to deflect attention by raising the issue of prescription charges. As far back as 2011, only months into the job, Edwin Poots was hinting free prescriptions could come to an end as part of efforts to address the major funding shortfall being faced by his department 

“People need some honesty right now. Either prescription charges are being brought in or they are not. The DUP cannot continue to frequently claim free prescriptions as one of the major successes of devolution while at the same time saying they are considering bringing back the charges.

“Indeed during last month’s election campaign, in the DUPs own canvassing guidelines, they were asking Party activists to promote the success of the abolition of prescription charges on the doorsteps.

“The Ulster Unionist Party’s policy is clear – we would not support the reintroduction of charging for prescriptions.  We consider the policy, introduced by Michael McGimpsey, to have been a major success and it has undoubtedly removed some of the major inequalities and the costly bureaucracy associated with the previous system.

“We have always recognised that if there are genuine areas of the current policy which need addressed then the Minister should do so. A problem that has developed over recent years has been the increasing dispensing of items which we consider should not be eligible under the scheme. I believe people should not be eligible for free items such as sun cream and paracetamol unless they can demonstrate a genuine medical need. There are changes that could be made and we would support the Minister doing that, but we would not support the reintroduction of charging.”