Tory call to keep charges after £11m in prescription fraud revealed

Plans to scrap prescription charges later this year have come under fresh attack as it emerged that fraud in this area is costing the NHS more than £11 million a year.

NHS counter fraud services, which carries out exemption checks on patients, has indicated that 11.3 million was lost through fraud or error in 2009.

The SNP Government is set to abolish prescription charges completely in April, after gradually reducing them since coming to power in 2007. They had brought in about 50 million of annual income to the NHS before being reduced.

Tory health spokesman Murdo Fraser said the 11 million lost in fraudulent claims is a "very high figure" in relation to the total cost.

"If that sort of saving could be made that's another argument why it would make sense to retain prescription charges," he said.

"There could potentially be even more money to put back into the health service as a result."

The charges stood at 6.85 when the SNP came to power and have now been cut to 3. Exemptions apply to under-16s and over-60s, a limited number of medical conditions and those on low incomes.

Lib Dem health spokesman Ross Finnie said: "Budgets are tight, but rather than cutting frontline services that patients depend on, Health Boards should crack down on fraud.

"That 11.3 million could have paid for 1,260 cleaners, or 533 nurses, or 326 dentists.

"The Health Secretary must sort this out. Nicola Sturgeon needs to work hand in hand with the Justice Secretary to tackle fraud in the NHS."

Ms Sturgeon announced last year that 1,500 nursing posts would be lost from the NHS as spending cuts begin to bite.

Both the the Lib Dems and Tories opposed prescription charges being cut at Holyrood's health committee last year, but it was pushed through by Labour and the SNP.

The Independent Budget Review group called on the Scottish Government to consider suspending the final abolition of prescription charges in its report last year among measures to address the impact of the squeeze on public spending.

Mr Fraser added: "We've consistently argued that at a time of unprecedented pressures on the NHS Budget, now is not the time to be giving the wealthy free prescriptions when they can well afford to make a financial contribution towards medicines.

"We're going to see a loss of 1,500 nurses in the NHS across Scotland and there's pressure on NHS boards to produce efficiency savings and there's some concern these might impact on frontline care.

"You have to question whether its right that we're taking something like 40 million out of the health Budget to subsidise the better off."

Prescription charges have already been scrapped in Northern Ireland and Wales.