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The inequity of the NHS lottery
ANOTHER day and another shocking case of a patient being denied desperately-needed treatment simply because of where they live.
Diagnosed with an eye complaint which could leave her blind, Lesley Fletcher would naturally have expected the NHS to treat her in her hour of need. But because her case is relatively unusual, requiring treatment using a drug unlicensed for her condition, her doctors must apply for funding from her local primary care trust.
Despite requests from her medical team, support from campaigners and her own personal plea, managers in North Yorkshire have turned down Mrs Fletcher's application – even though the treatment is available elsewhere.
Their rejection must be all the more galling since she even attended a hospital appointment to have the treatment to save her sight before being told that it could not be provided.
Of course, NHS managers must have proper regard for the public purse and they cannot support every request for funding.
And clearly there are many new treatments being developed by pharmaceutical giants which come at an unjustifiably high price, far beyond the health gains they offer in comparison to other competing demands for NHS cash.
But without this treatment, Mrs Fletcher's eyesight will deteriorate dramatically. As she says, she will no longer be able to work, with taxpayers incurring long-term costs through disability benefits and NHS care.
Patients in North Yorkshire, with conditions ranging from cancer to infertility, already face worse access to new or expensive treatments mainly because of the recent poor management of NHS finances in the county. They should not be forced to go public to appeal for treatment which is available elsewhere.
The best decisions about routine NHS care are made by local people about local services. But in cases where inequity and inequality affect care, national, or, at the very least, regional standards must be set – so common sense can prevail.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -8 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -5 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South
