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A health board has said 8.6 billion tonnes of medicines is wasted every year in Scotland’s borders.

Releasing a statement today urging the public to help reduce wastage, NHS Borders, one of 14 health boards in NHS Scotland covering 32 council areas, said prescription medicines cost it more than £30 million annually even though they are free for patients in the country. That, NHS Borders added, equated to £84,000 every day or £2.5 million a month.

“When medicines are ordered but go unused, this money is lost,” it said. “Every year in the Borders, 8.6 tonnes of medicine is wasted which is roughly the weight of two elephants. None of this can be reused, even if it is returned unopened, and must be disposed of safely at significant cost to us.”

NHS Borders reminded the public not to stockpile medicines and urged them to return any that are unwanted to pharmacies.

NHS Borders’ director of pharmacy Malcolm Clubb said: “Every pound we spend on wasted or unused medicines is a pound that could have been spent on frontline care for you and your loved ones.

“By only ordering the medicines you need, when you need them, you can make a real difference to how our resources are used. Together, we can reduce medicine waste and make sure more of our resources go directly towards improving patient care for the people of the Scottish Borders.”