§ Mr. Blenkinsopasked the Minister of Health what were the number and cost of prescriptions issued and dental treatment provided and appliances issued for
PRESCRIPTIONS Number of prescriptions Average cost per prescription Total cost October, 1951 … … … 20,358,621 45.31d. £3,843,579 (actual) October, 1952 … … … 18,662,000 Not yet available (declared by chemists) No figures are available to show the number of prescriptions dispensed to hospital out-patients in October, 1951, and October, 1952.
DENTAL TREATMENT Treatment October, 1951 (5 weeks) October, 1952 (5 weeks) Number Cost to the Exchequer Number Cost to the Exchequer £ £ Completed courses of dental treatment under normal procedure (other than for the provision of dentures to which the 1952 charges do not apply) [Note 1] 495,000 £1,300,000 496,000 £1,100,000 Courses for limited treatment provided under simplified procedure [Note 2] 317,000 155,000 NOTES 1. About one-third of the courses given in October, 1952, were subject to charges under the 1952 Act. The remaining courses were started before 1st June, or were for items of treatment to which the charges do not apply or were to the exempted classes of patients. 2. The courses for limited treatment, which consist largely of extractions of one or two teeth, usually cost under £1 and many patients may therefore be assumed to have had the treatment privately.
APPLIANCES Surgical Appliances delivered to hospitals — October, 1951 (4 weeks) October, 1952 (Calendar month) Number Estimated cost Number Estimated cost £ £ Surgical Footwear (pairs) … 3,534 32,700 3,955 35,000 Surgical Abdominal appliances … 8,319 31,200 5,996 20,000 Elastic Hosiery (orders—pairs or single) … 3,054 5,300 3,242 5,200 Wigs … 938 12,000 593 7,600 TOTALS … 15,845 £81,200 13,786 £67,800