By Professor John Robertson OBA
In the National, yesterday:
SCOTS would be “perfectly happy” to see the end of universal free prescriptions from the NHS, the Scottish Tory leader has claimed.
As far back as 2012, Scottish Labour would not have protected free prescriptions – Labour leader Johann Lamont has signalled a policy shift by calling for an end to a “something for nothing” culture. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13074454.lamont-calls-end-something-nothing-culture/
In September 2024, The Trussell Trust reported:
68% of working households in receipt of Universal Credit having gone without essentials, such as basic toiletries and prescriptions, in the last six months. This is only slightly lower than the level among people receiving Universal Credit who are not in work (79%)
SNP MSP, Elena Whitham, wrote in September 2024:
The MSP says that, in Ayrshire, the average person receives 19 free prescriptions per year, saving £183.35 per person.
The SNP representative said: “Free prescriptions are a vital part of the social contract the SNP has with people across Ayrshire – no matter what your income status is it is essential that you have access to medical treatment. https://www.cumnockchronicle.com/news/24559821.msp-elena-whitham-importance-snp-free-prescriptions/
In 2023, I wrote to reveal that we’re not just talking about the cost of treatment for coughs, sneezes and headaches, here, but life or death:
Evidence that free asthma prescriptions in Scotland may have saved thousands from a Covid death
On 23 December 2022, I posted:
On 21 December 2022, there were only 8 patients in ICU in Scotland but 174 in England, nearly twice as many per head of population. Even in Wales with a smaller population, there were more, 10.
Throughout November and December as Covid hospitalisations began to climb again, there have been 2 to 3 times as many, pro rata, in English Hospitals than in Scotland.
I wondered why this might be and Lorna Murray [https://twitter.com/LornaRetiree] tweeted:
People in England are unable to pay for drugs such as ventolin for asthma therefore are hospitalised as a result
I was intrigued and did a quick search for evidence either way. No research group seems to have done this and I offer my hypothesis below ready to be contradicted with better evidence but:
People with moderate-to-severe or uncontrolled asthma are more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/asthma.html
People with mild and/or well-controlled asthma are neither at significantly increased risk of hospitalisation with nor more likely to die from COVID-19 than adults without asthma.
https://thorax.bmj.com/content/early/2022/03/29/thoraxjnl-2021-218629
I think its reasonable to interpret ‘well-controlled‘ as involving medication.
Can everyone afford to be medicated adequately?
Essential medicines for treating asthma and COPD were largely unavailable and unaffordable in LMICs [low-income and middle-income countries]. This was particularly true for inhalers containing corticosteroids.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(22)00330-8/fulltext
The Covid death rate in Scotland is 226.8 per 100 000. In England, it is 310.9, 37% higher in a country with a generally higher life expectancy.
There have been 12 389 Covid deaths in Scotland and 175 007 in England, around 45 890 more per head of population.
Around 5.4 million in the UK have asthma.
So:
- Have free asthma prescriptions in Scotland played a major part in saving 4 589 (37%) from Covid deaths?
- Has a lack of free asthma prescriptions for the poor in England, played a major part in tens of thousands of avoidable Covid deaths?
Other sources:
Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/
The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self respect, previously awarded to Dr Philippa Whitford, Alex Salmond and Sean Connery: https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116
About Oliver Brown, the first Scottish National Party candidate to save his deposit in a Parliamentary election: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Brown_(Scottish_activis
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
I’ve already told this gentleman in no uncertain terms that he doesn’t speak for our household. My husband requires 5 life preserving drugs every month plus 3 which are more for his comfort, that he buys because they are cheaper over the counter than on prescription. I need three to control heart failure, unavailable without prescription. As pensioners in our mid 80s, just coppers over the threshold for any benefits, that would put a strain on our monthly budget, something we can well do without.
Ok, we’ve had, as they say, a good innings, something we never expected because both sets of our parents died young. But it seems neither of us is quite ready to give up and certainly not because folk like him think they have the right to take away our lifeline.
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“Scots would be perfectly happy to see the end of universal free prescriptions from the NHS” says Tory leader (ITO) in Scotland.
Meanwhile the same Tory leader (ITO) in Scotland was not “happy”, as in he was opposed to, Labour UK cutting the “Universal” Winter Fuel allowance for Pensioners, in fact neither were most of the people who lived in Scotland “happy” either.
In fact Russell Findlay said “there was “palpable” anger at Labour across the UK” on this decision.
Also he said that “Elderly folk who have slogged hard all their days feel absolutely betrayed.”
Of course he condemned the Labour PM for “not carrying out an impact assessment on the (“Universal”) Winter fuel payment cut”
So did he, Russell Findlay, carry out an “impact assessment” on his suggestion as to what consequences there would be if there was an end to “Universal free prescriptions in our Scottish NHS” ?
One could be forgiven for thinking that Russell Findlay was merely ‘Playing Politics’ again at the SNP’s expense in declaring this in relation to “free prescriptions” here in Scotland, which as part of the NHS , is an area his Tory party, like Labour, are apparently experts in yet they themselves failed to have any credible answers or real solutions in England and in Wales (respectively as both former and current governments in these two nations) to ensure both fairness and a better service being delivered to all of the public in these other two nations within the UK.
So I think we need no lessons from the likes of Russell Findlay as a Tory politician (ITO).
So ‘first they came for our’ etc etc kind of vibe is it not.
To include also Tuition fees in that collection of benefits that we in Scotland have enjoyed compared to England & Wales , as in those two nations, England & Wales, having to do without these same benefits.
All due to their respective governments past and present.
Benefits in Scotland that have eased the burden for us in Scotland , as in the many burdens which were formerly imposed via the Tory UK government, and it seems are now to be continued by the new Labour UK government .
In fact Russell Findlay conveniently forgets that under his Tory party as the UK government we have suffered a very costly lesson via a Tory imposed Brexit on our Scottish economy, increased food prices in our Scottish supermarkets, high(er) energy bills in Scotland , in fact energy bills are regarded as being higher here than elsewhere in the UK, higher Mortgage payments and so he, Findlay, is hardly in any position to dictate what should be “ended” or in fact presume to know what we, within Scotland as a people, would be “happy” with or without as a current Scottish government policy aka benefit.
I think he, Russell Findlay, needs to focus more on his broken UK party and their excessive amounts of changing (failed) UK leaders in a short period of time, who have generated more suffering and ‘unhappiness’ in Scotland than Russell Findlay would be honest enough to admit to, but that we in Scotland have had to both endure and live with (suffer under) as being a part of Russell’s beloved UK.
Obviously he is one who sees himself as being somehow entitled to criticise another political party, as in the SNP, while he fails to recognise the weakness and failings of his own Tory party, does he also forget what happened to his former leader (ITO) in Scotland, Douglas Ross, and also why it happened.
Know thyself , and also know your own UK Tory party, before judging others, is I fear, something Russell Findlay and his colleagues at Holyrood dare not do or will not do as it would then be too obvious for him and them to clearly see the hypocrisy and the false sense of self righteousness that oozes out of every fake statement he and they makes that is attacking others. (especially the SNP).
I guess though that Tories are always gonna Tory, are they not !
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Never surprises me that the people most vocal AGAINST universal benefits are those who NEVER need them as they are among the most prosperous in society . They are also the people most vociferous AGAINST raising taxes to fund the very universal benefits they consistently rail against but are happy to accept many , many benefits from the taxpayer for themselves as MPs/MSPs !
And I include the current Scottish (sic ) Labour mob ii this clique !
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I bet ALL the unionist party msps and their families take their FREE prescriptions even although they probably mostly all have private healthcare but take take take this SNP benefit……now if only there was a reality pill!!!
JB
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They’d choke on it!
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Well if he is willing to pay for it he could always buy these!!!…https://www.amazon.co.uk/atcotab-Boyfriend-Valentines-Christmas-Birthday/dp/B0BPNF5LY8/ref=pd_lpo_sccl_1/261-3610331-3302427?pd_rd_w=WtquG&content-id=amzn1.sym.bb13d3fc-af40-4fff-a822-e0e4c415da96&pf_rd_p=bb13d3fc-af40-4fff-a822-e0e4c415da96&pf_rd_r=1HV4WY3RB4JS0P9562NK&pd_rd_wg=f8Sey&pd_rd_r=a81a401b-09b6-4eb1-8ce5-72ceb7565234&pd_rd_i=B0BPNF5LY8&th=1h
JB
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