Madam, – Medical card holders will see a massive hike in their drug costs this year due to the new prescription tax. A medical card patient will now have to pay up to €120 a year on their medicines. This vulnerable group is certainly not benefiting from the deal between the pharmaceutical manufacturers and the Government.
The prescription tax will not benefit the patient or the State – it will simply discourage patients from taking essential medicines and therefore, lead to a deterioration of health and increased hospitalisations, costing us more the long run. Every other country is phasing out prescription taxes. Why is the Minister bringing them in? – Yours, etc,