CANCER patients in England can apply for free prescriptions from today.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced last year that patients with long-term conditions will get their medicines free on the NHS.

Charges for cancer patients will be scrapped from April 1, but patients can apply from today. Exemptions for other conditions will follow later.

However, campaigners have been calling for everyone in England to be exempt from the cost after charges were scrapped in Wales and are in the process of being phased out in Scotland.

Today’s announcement means the abolition of charges for everyone undergoing treatment for cancer, the effects of cancer or the effects of cancer treatment.

All medicines will be covered by the exemption, including drugs not relating to the actual disease.

Patients will apply for a five-year exemption certificate, which can be renewed as many times as necessary and will not have to be returned if their condition changes.

Application forms will be available from GP surgeries and oncology clinics, but must be countersigned by the patient’s GP, hospital doctor or service doctor.

All applications received by March 24 will be processed in time to be used for April 1.

Up to 150,000 patients already diagnosed with cancer are expected to benefit, and may save £100 each per year in charges, according to the Department of Health.

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said: “I would urge patients to make an appointment with their GP from this week to talk about applying for their exemption certificate.”

Ciaran Devane, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “We are delighted the Government has listened and abolished prescription charges for cancer patients.

“This was absolutely the right thing to do. Cancer not only threatens your life, but can also make you poor. Free prescriptions will transform the lives of thousands of people living with cancer who were struggling to pay for drugs.”

Scrapping prescription charges for everyone with a long-term condition means about five million people will eventually be exempt.

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, is carrying out a review of how to bring in the full exemption.