Are free prescriptions really affordable in Scotland?

Northern Ireland's current health minister, Edwin Poots, announced a few months ago that he was considering putting a paper through Stormont to reinstate prescription charges. Poots states that he wants to ensure that funding for expensive medicines can be secured and has stated that he cannot afford to pay any more money for funding medicines without finding other ways to fit the bill.

Yesterday, I focused on the issue of the Cancer Drugs Fund which was heavily debated in the Scottish Parliament nearly two weeks ago. And I also raised the question of how, with the current priorities being made and the cuts to funding from Westminster for Holyrood, the Scottish Government can find the money to fund a possible Cancer Drugs Fund for Scotland.

On the funding front, its time to dig deeper into the issue. As uncomforting as this may sound, the question we really ought to be asking is whether Scotland can continue to afford free prescriptions for every patient?

At £1.18 billion (2011/12), Scotland's medicine bill takes up a substantial portion of the NHS budget. Although I don't anticipate a future levy raising even around a tenth of that amount, that could still be a sizeable amount which could open up the possibility of funding a series of new initiatives like a possible Cancer Drugs Fund.

But also, as far as pharmacists are concerned, anecdotally I am hearing that many newly qualified pharmacists are only on short term contracts and that many employers, particularly in hospitals, are only considering internal candidates for vacancies and, I assume, due to funding pressures only around half the current team of pharmacists will be successful in filling those vacancies, leaving the other unsuccessful half facing a period of unwelcoming instability in terms of sustaining continued employment. And we are not talking about failures here. We are talking about successful, talented and highly capable individuals who have every right to face a bright future ahead of them. And I am pretty sure this crisis is not limited to pharmacy.

Now lets not forget that the pharmacy graduate employment crisis is not exclusive to Scotland. It is a problem across these islands. However, in the current economic climate and with all funding pressures raising up to fever point, should the Scottish Government not be a bit more pragmatic and, by all means, protect the poorest and those on tight incomes in our nation by ensuring they continue to receive prescriptions without a payment but also at the same time ask those who have disposable income to contribute a little bit towards the cost of their medicines?

Don't get me wrong, I think free prescriptions for everyone is progress. But, at the moment, it is coming at a price - to patients and health professionals from all diversities. Unless the Scottish Government can find a way to address the current issues that are arising at the moment by securing funding for expensive medicines for NHS patients and securing funding to employ more newly qualified health professionals then desperate times could call for desperate measures, like reinstating prescription charges.

And that's a place that I, nor anybody, really wants to go to.