The issue was highlighted locally when cancer patient Linda O’Boyle died after the NHS refused to fund or administer a life-extending treatment and she was forced to go private.
Commenting after the debate in the House of Commons, John said: “The ban on co-payments is wrong because it means withdrawing free NHS care from dying patients simply because they paid privately to obtain a drug not available on the NHS. Such a policy is inhumane.
“Patients seeking to top-up are not asking for favours or preferential treatments: no NHS care is taken away from other patients. Therefore the health service should be doing everything it can to help save or extend life.
“There are many examples of patients topping up NHS care already. If I go to an NHS dentist and then pay privately for teeth whitening, free NHS care is not withdrawn. So why is cancer any different? It is even more important to allow top-ups where they can save life.
“The family of Linda O’Boyle has been very courageous in speaking out against the ban on co-payments. We hope that in future patients will not have to go through the same thing.”
Comment: What sort of crazy State is it that refuses a patient the right to supplement State provided medicines at their own cost with medications the State system is unable to supply, even though the physician recommends the use of those medicines? John is right --- the issue needs to be resolved quickly. This is not an issue of preferential treatment, budget availability or cost of treatment.It is an issue of respect for life.
Everyone understands that the NHS operates within a range of guidelines and financial constraints. However, it beggars belief that any government would knowingly have passed legislation giving rise to the outrageous co-payment ban if aware of the implications for families such as that of Linda O'Boyle.
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