Prescription charge breakthrough

Gordon Brown's announcement that people with long-term medical conditions will no longer have to pay prescription charges is excellent news - and long overdue.

The announcement received widespread praise, but as I commented in the Daily Mail and Daily Mirror, Mr Brown omitted one vital piece of information: When exactly will the charges be scrapped?

Asthma UK has campaigned long and hard for reform to a system that currently forces people with asthma to pay for their medicine, when people with other long-term conditions like diabetes get them free.

We've taken a big step forward, but what we now need is a clear deadline for this to be implemented, within the lifetime of the present Government.

England lags behind Scotland and Wales, who already have free prescriptions, and that means an unfair financial burden for 4.4 million people with asthma, many of whom are forced to stop taking their medicines because they simply cannot afford them.

We'll keep up the pressure on Mr Brown to make good on his promise, and you can help us by joining our e-campaign. 

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