Fears over prescription charges changes for over-60s
A former councillor is starting an online campaign calling for any proposals to raise the age for free prescriptions from 60 to 66 to be scrapped.
Abdul Qadus, a 64-year-old former member of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council who is a candidate in the forthcoming May elections for the Lye and Stourbridge North ward for the Liberal Democrats, is concerned about any move which might be forthcoming to raise the age for free prescriptions.
He has written to all the Dudley borough MPs, the Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and to the Queen, expressing his concern.
The move follows fears of Government proposals to align access to free prescriptions to the State pension age of 66 which Abdul claims would leave many people choosing not to take their medication.
At the moment people between 60 and 65-years-old receive free medication through the NHS.
Mr Qadus said: "At the moment they are free in Scotland and Wales and in England certain categories with health issues, regardless of age, do not pay for prescriptions.
"I am raising an online petition calling for any proposal to charge for prescriptions to be scrapped.
"I had an eye operation last year for cataracts and there were complications and I ended up having eye drops which, if I had been charged, would have cost anything up to £200.
"I was using the drops for about four weeks and was then give others which I will use life-long and which cost about £9.35 or £9.45.
"At the moment I do not have to pay because I am exempt.
"I fear that any move to charge people generally for prescriptions will mean hundreds of thousands of people like me facing a dreadful situation.
"Such a move would have a major impact on people in England and their social life and wellbeing.
"I fear that such a move would see many more people having to choose between eating, heating and paying for prescriptions.
