Drug cuts will hit children
nade official by COHSE, who pro luced stickers and leaflets. Locally, il ho and he pain ma lot bon.
including coverage in The Guardian and on TV.
It so happened that the previous week a new District General Manager had been appointed to the Health Authority. It became clear that he had a mandate from the Authority's Chair to get the occupation called off and pensioners. A NEW government scheme to cut £100m from the NHS drug bill will do so by forcing thousands of pensioners and parents to fork out for prescripions of April, some 400 drugs on a have been getting tree government "hit list" will be put "out of bounds" for NHS prescriptions by GPs and hospital doctors.
Though many of these are scathingly described as "ineffective or dangerous" by the British National Formulary, they include mnay well-known painkillers and comforters, among them Distalgesic Dorbarex, Asilone, Bennine, Actited, Librium, Benylin, Calpol, Ativan, Multivite and Parahypon.
The "banned" list includes nearly all common painkillers (only Paracetamol or Aspirin will be left for mild or moderate pain), indigestion remedies, sleeping pills, sedatives, tranquillisers, laxatives and cough
It is estimated that 70-80% of those who receive these drugs on prescription are exempt from prescription charges. As of April, they will face different "allothed rug; ching to a different
full price of their medicine on a private prescription or across a chemist's counter. regularly for arthritis could be taced with a bill of £3.80 for every 100 tablets. Elderly people taking Dorbanex would need to save up £8 for reeding Actied rough linctus we pay £2.50 for a 200 ml. bottle. Plainly, patients will once again be divided on the same old lines as before the NHS — between those who an afford to buy the medicines they need privately, and those who cannot.
Government ministers - abetted by the press - have dressed up this new penny-pinching policy as some new, radical swipe at drug industry
had been the (very modest) demand of the occupation committee. This offer was in return for a trial scheme of a 5-day week with full protection of
There were real dnagers in this second proposal, but the staff, after the been redeployed.
The occupation was duly suspended. It had lasted just 15 days and in its limited objective had won total victory: an amazing achievement for a coniract comes from switching from sive, brand-named drugs to cheaper but identical "generic equivalents"
Yet the fact is that many "banned" drugs on the list of 400 are while several on the "allowed" list are expensive patented preparations. Us-
name in these instances would save no money for the
Interestingly, the most glaring examples of drug industry profiteering by the proposals, manufacturers can expect to make up through over-the-counter and private
generiana revenue they lose from the NHS.
Though the BA is making loud noises against the scheme, most docSocialist Viewpoint, No. 3, February 1985. Page 15
group of workers dedicated and determined but hitherto far from militant.
These staff are now aiming to embark on a study with the help of other supporting and professional groups of the real need for the Centre, not limited by the dictates of cash balance, and demanding national funding.
The threat remains, if consultatio s treated in the DHA's usual cynica way, of a re-occupation with the workers back in control. tors will be quite happy to write possibly looking further ahead to still more private practice in the NHS.
Orce again it is the patients who will suffer from this latest mean and underhand attack; and as so often it is
Othe elderly and the very young who suffer the most.
In opposing the latest government scheme, health campaigners should be pressing for:
* à full exposure of drug company profits;
* a campaign for the nationalisation of the drug companies and their integration together with a research programme into a planned and expanded health service;
a comprehensive, objective assessment of the effectiveness or otherwise of the 3,000 drugs currently on sale in Britain - involving trade unions, pensioners and other organisations as
doctors and technicians with those found useless or harmful being banned the market or manufacture in this country. Reprinted from Health Emergency, bulletin of London Health Emergency. Affiliation (£5) and details from LHE, 335, Grays Inn Road, London WCl.
London HEALTH * CEMERGENCT March 16 Conference/ AGM *County* Hall
Labour Women