UK Rx Charges Stop People Seeking Medical Advice

A new survey from Key Note Market Information has revealed that nearly a quarter of UK patients do not seek medical advice because of the high level of prescription charges, which are now L5.25 ($8.38) per item for those people obliged to pay.

By far the majority of prescriptions (estimated at around 80%) in terms of numbers are issued for people exempt (such as by virtue of youth or old age, pregnancy, certain chronic conditions or being on social security, etc). In the survey, conducted by Gallup, 24% of just under 1,000 people questioned said that the high price of prescriptions puts them off going to their doctor.

Nearly half (41%) of people questioned said they would be prepared to ask the pharmacist whether or not there was a cheaper over-the-counter alternative prior to handing in a prescription, and over a quarter (26%) said that in the past they found they had been given a product on prescription, only to discover at a later date that it could have been bought OTC at a cheaper price.