I'M ALL RIGHT, JOCK
2 March 2005
In order to save £2.50 per day per patient, the government quango the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has decided to recommend that Alzheimer patients should be denied drugs which are able to halt the progress of the disease for roughly one year - giving those affected an extra year of quality life.
This is a appalling way to treat our elderly, and has rightly provoked an uproar.
The NHS of course can afford to prescribe Viagra, and also perform sex-change operations at public expense in order to comply with transexual human rights - but not afford to properly care for our elderly.
The amount the NHS spends on Viagra is greater than the amount spent on drugs for dementia (£80m for Viagra and £60m for anti-dementia drugs).
The sooner the NHS is denationalised the better.
But what is being overlooked is that the proposed penny-pinching is only applicable to England and Wales. Scotland, of course, has its own arrangements and a far bigger NHS budget courtesy of the Scottish parliament and the English taxpayer.
It is yet another case of “I’m all right, Jock”.
The English do not have their own parliament to represent their interests, and that is why we are continually losing out.
In order to save £2.50 per day per patient, the government quango the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has decided to recommend that Alzheimer patients should be denied drugs which are able to halt the progress of the disease for roughly one year - giving those affected an extra year of quality life.
This is a appalling way to treat our elderly, and has rightly provoked an uproar.
The NHS of course can afford to prescribe Viagra, and also perform sex-change operations at public expense in order to comply with transexual human rights - but not afford to properly care for our elderly.
The amount the NHS spends on Viagra is greater than the amount spent on drugs for dementia (£80m for Viagra and £60m for anti-dementia drugs).
The sooner the NHS is denationalised the better.
But what is being overlooked is that the proposed penny-pinching is only applicable to England and Wales. Scotland, of course, has its own arrangements and a far bigger NHS budget courtesy of the Scottish parliament and the English taxpayer.
It is yet another case of “I’m all right, Jock”.
The English do not have their own parliament to represent their interests, and that is why we are continually losing out.
posted by erc @ 11:59 pm
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