Around 800,000 asthma sufferers in England have cut back on food to pay for their medication, a charity has said.
More than a third (35%) of people with the condition have, at times, needed to make the sacrifice to cover the cost of their prescription, according to a survey by Asthma UK.
Many are facing an “impossible” choice between essentials and life-saving medicine, said Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and policy at the charity.
The survey of 9,000 people with asthma, including around 7,500 who paid for their prescription, also found more than one in five (21%) have cut back on paying bills to pay for medication.
This equates to an estimated 480,000 people in England.
Around 2.3 million people with asthma pay for their prescription in England, Asthma UK said.
The NHS does offer prescription payment certificates (PPCs) for people who require regular prescriptions. You can buy a PPC online for £104 for 12 months or £29.10 for three months, which lets you get as many NHS prescriptions as you need for a set price.
However, 12% of asthma sufferers surveyed said they didn’t know about the pre-payment certificate. A quarter of people with asthma who didn’t buy a PPC (24%) told Asthma UK it was because they couldn’t afford it, with many raising concerns about being tied into a contract. Almost a third (27%) of people with asthma said they didn’t know if the certificate would help because their condition varies over time, making it hard to predict how much they’ll need to spend on medication.
“The stark reality is that hundreds of thousands of people with asthma are faced with an impossible choice – cut back on essentials like food and bills or cut back on the medication that could save their life,” Dr Walker said.
“People with asthma are struggling to pay for their prescriptions and around a million are cutting back on taking their medication because of the cost. This puts them at risk of being hospitalised or even dying from an asthma attack.”
The charity has launched a campaign – Stop Unfair Asthma Prescription Charges – in a bid to make medication free for those with the condition.
It comes after a 19-year-old waitress, Holly Worboys, died from an asthma attack in January 2016. Her family say she struggled to afford inhalers.
“As Holly only had one dose of medicine left in her inhaler, even as she struggled to breathe she didn’t want to take it, saying she’d save it for when she really needed it,” Holly’s mum, Cathy Worboys, said. “The horrific irony is that was the moment Holly really did need it.”
Prescription charges have been scrapped in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, while those in England with long-term conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy are entitled to a medical exemption certificate to avoid the cost.