People should not have to pay for medical prescriptions says Rye MP Michael Foster.
The MP is backing a campaign by Macmillan Cancer Support to scrap prescription charges.
He said: "Our healthcare system is the best in the world and the huge majority of prescriptions are already free but the NHS was founded upon the principle of
free healthcare and in keeping with that legacy I believe we should make all prescriptions free."
Currently only 12% of prescriptions are actually paid for - the vast majority are covered by exemptions for children, pensioners and those with long-lasting medical conditions such as epilepsy or diabetes.
Macmillan Cancer Support are now campaigning for all prescriptions to be available free of charge.
Speaking in support of the campaign Michael Foster said: "Since 1997 Labour has tripled investment in the NHS to over £100billion per year – it now employs over 400,000 nurses and 138,000 doctors carrying out nearly 8million operations per year.
"The hard working staff of the NHS do a fantastic job and I believe free prescriptions would be a further health boost to the British public.
"I appreciate that the extra cost, about £430million, would need to come from the budget but given that 88% of prescriptions are already free it seems to me to be right and a saving on administration to make all free of charge.
The full article contains 237 words and appears in n/a newspaper.