The Catalan Government keeps the drug prescription fee despite Madrid’s additional measures

Barcelona (ACN).- The Spokesperson for the Catalan Government, Francesc Homs, announced on Thursday that the drug prescription fee will be maintained because the measures imposed by the Spanish Government are “insufficient”. After yesterday’s meeting with the Spanish Health Minister and his counterparts from the Autonomies, the Catalan Health Minister, Boi Ruiz, said they would study if the drug prescription fee was to be kept or not. In the meeting, it was decided that Spaniards would pay for a greater share of the price at the pharmacy. In addition, in Catalonia, from next June, citizens will have to pay €1 for each drug prescription, although some exceptions and limitations will be established. The Catalan Health Minister said on Wednesday that they “will look to see if these measures represent an additional effort by Catalan citizens”, something he repeated early on Thursday. Left-Wing opposition parties –mainly the Catalan Socialists (PSC), the Catalan Independence Party (ERC), and the Green Socialists (ICV)– had asked the Catalan Government to eliminate the €1 drug prescription fee as it would be added to the Spanish Government’s measures and Catalan citizens would pay more for their medication than the rest of Spain's citizens. Furthermore, the main Catalan doctors union ‘Metges de Catalunya’ asked for the drug prescription fee to be eliminated, and they consider the Spanish Government’s proposal “fairer” as they think it better takes into consideration income levels.

The Catalan Government’s Spokesperson confirmed at noon that the drug prescription fee will not be eliminated since the Spanish Government’s measures are “insufficient”, he said. Homs said that the drug prescription fee represents a maximum of €62 per person per year and its objective is “not so much for tax collection” purposes but instead it has been implemented as a “dissuasive” measure, in order to reduce the abuse of pharmaceutical products. Furthermore, Homs asked the Spanish Government “to copy” other European countries where citizens pay for part of the public healthcare services. He mentioned examples in Germany, France, Belgium or Sweden. The Catalan Government’s Spokesperson asked the Spanish Government to adopt further measures “to guarantee the Welfare State”, “as they have decisive powers”.

Catalonia’s drug prescription fee

Catalan citizens will have to pay a €1 fee for each drug prescription from June onwards. However, neither low income earners will have to pay the fee: nor those on non-contributory pensions, receivers of the minimum income integration grant, and chronically-ill patients. Furthermore, the fee will not be charged for medication that costs less than €1.67 and after 62 prescriptions in one year. The Catalan Government expects to obtain €180 million in additional revenue in 2013, as the fee will also reduce spending due to its dissuasive impact.