To: Health secretary and NHS

Free medication for asthmatics

Enable asthmatics to obtain free prescriptions so they may have the medication they need for their potentially life threatening conditions.

Why is this important?

Asthmatics currently pay for their inhalers. People who are also unfortunate to have diabetes do not pay for their medication these people are born with the condition or develop type II later in life in which lifestyle can play a major role in this development. Although this is great, asthmatics however develop this chronic illness and. although it may not really be known how this develops it would seem this is through no fault of the person. 5.4 million people in the UK are currently receiving asthma treatment and on average 3 people die from an asthma attack every day. The NHS spends an average £1 billion a year on treating and caring for people with asthma in contrast they spend £14 billion a year on treating and caring for people with diabetes who obtain their prescriptions for free. There are a lot of articles on the internet regarding people unable to afford their medication and people who have skipped taking it because of the cost. One article I read last year particularly sticks with me about a 19 year old girl dying from an asthma attack all because she could not afford her medication. This was heart breaking. This was someones daughter, someones sister, aunt, cousin, or niece. Now imagine this was your child.