This could be fun, if you don't live in Scotland, that is.
MSPs have voted to scrap NHS prescription charges in Scotland, a key SNP pledge in the 2007 elections.
Labour supports the plan but the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats believe the cash could be better spent in other areas.
Or, more to the point, the extra cash which this will
require to be spent could be a
drain on other areas.
Although the NHS, which was founded in 1948, was meant to provide a completely free health service for everyone, a growing drugs bill prompted the introduction of prescription charges in 1952.
[...]
In 1965, under Harold Wilson, Labour abolished prescription charges. This caused the NHS drugs bill to soar, as many low-cost items that patients had previously bought for themselves were increasingly prescribed. Labour relented in June 1968, and restored prescription charges
Good luck with that soaring drugs bill, Shona.
