Freshered writer Alex Fletcher looks at the debate regarding free prescriptions for students.
As someone who is British, I’m proud of the fact that we do so much to accommodate as many people as possible. Despite frequent occasions where governments have sought divisive and selfish regimes to suit their own agendas, I feel that the people of this country have always wished for a nation that looks out for everyone.
In the context of students, this can be seen to a great extent. The financial situation of students has to be recognised and as much certain policies such as an exemption from council tax and the ability to apply for a maintenance grant based on your fmaily income are just two of the ways students are given a helping. And for myself, this is wonderful and should continue without hinderance.
However, it should also be recognised that students are often, in my opinion, not given certain other levels of support I believe they should be entitled to. Specifically, the right to obtain prescriptions from pharmacies for free.
Now, I will say that I’m in no way stating that students are the only social group to suffer from certain inequalities in regards to taxation, insurance, healthcare and other financial support. We all still remember the heated debate surrounding license fees for the over 75s. That being said, as a student who needs to frequently access medication, I certainly feel frustrated that we don’t fall under the banner of those in education entitled to free prescriptions.
While many students have flexible courses which give you a significant amount of control over your time, it’s not something that is generally designed to support paid work. The majority of courses are designed to have students spend their working week taking on uni-based work either in person or as part of their self study. So by the logic of the existing exemptions from paid prescriptions, students should also be able to obtain their medication for free. Yet, the majority of students still pay full price.
It also seems counter-intuitive for the government to have to pay maintenance loan fees to students only for them to spend it immediately on their prescriptions. It would seemingly make more sense for student loan companies to not have to take into account medication when giving students their maintenance grants. I may not be an economic expert, but it does seem that students have fallen by the wayside when it comes to financial support with prescriptions.
This is simply my view. There will be plenty of individuals and groups in UK society who feel they are not given a fair deal with regards to financial support. That being said, the fact that certain social groups which seem to share so much with students, for example those in full-time college education, are entitled to free prescriptions seems bizarre. Let’s hope we see this issue on the government agenda very soon.
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