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LONDON, September 23LONDON, September 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Commenting on the promise to abolish prescription charges for cancer patients, the Chair of the English Pharmacy Board of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, Beth Taylor said:
"This is good news for those affected by cancer. It is unfair for cancer patients to have to deal with the added financial burden of prescription charges and we see at first hand the anguish that this can cause.
"However, Gordon Brown's commitment to abolish charges for all patients with long-term conditions is conditional on the NHS generating cash savings from the drugs budget. This may not be as easy as he thinks and we do not think his promise should be conditional. Patients should not have to pay if the NHS fails to deliver savings in the drugs budget."
Notes to editors
About the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
- The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) is the professional and regulatory body for pharmacists in England, Scotland and Wales. It also regulates pharmacy technicians on a voluntary basis, which is expected to become statutory under anticipated legislation. The primary objectives of the RPSGB are to lead, regulate, develop and represent the profession of pharmacy.
- The RPSGB leads and supports the development of the profession within the context of the public benefit. This includes the advancement of science, practice, education and knowledge in pharmacy. In addition, it promotes the profession's policies and views to a range of external stakeholders in a number of different forums.
- Following the publication in 2007 of the Government White Paper Trust, Assurance and Safety - The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century, the RPSGB is working towards the demerger of its regulatory and professional roles. This will see the establishment of a new General Pharmaceutical Council and a new professional body for pharmacy in 2010.
For media enquiries please contact the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's Public Relations Unit +44(0)20-7572-2336
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