FREE MEDICINES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 100, 30 April 1941, Page 11

FREE MEDICINES

PHARMACY BENEFITS

COMMENCING DATE

MONDAY NEXT

The commencing date for the pharmacy benefits has been fixed as Monday next, May 5. The Minister of Health (Mr. Nordmeyer) explained today that it had been hoped to commence the scheme at the beginning of the month, but in view of the fact that the chemists had just been notified of the details of the scheme it had been deemed advisable to delay its introduction for a few days. "I have pleasure, therefore, in announcing that as from Monday next the pharmacy service will be available," said the Minister. "It should be made clear," continued Mr. Nordmeyer, "that the chemist is at complete liberty to co-operate or otherwise with the Government scheme. It is possible that in some cases the chemists' entry into the scheme will be postponed, but it is not anticipated that this will occur in any substantial number of cases." The Minister said it was also important that the public should realise that only prescriptions which were signed by a doctor on or after the commencing date, Monday next, would be available for the free service. This provision did not apply merely to prescriptions issued by doctors who had agreed to operate the general practitioner service, but to all doctors' prescriptions. PROPRIETARY LINES. In the meantime proprietary medicines were excluded from the full provision of the scheme. The position in respect of proprietary lines was that where there was a British pharmacopoeia equivalent, the cost of this would be set off against the cost of the proprietary line and the customer would be required to pay the difference. This, said, the Minister, was similar to the [arrangement in connection with most friendly societies.