Surely the NHS is for medical problems

[Kayless]

http://www.express.co...-in-cosmetic-ops-scam
leaving aside the whole immigrant issue, surely cosmetic surgery, IVF etc should not be available anyway. Should the NHS ban all cosmetic surgery for vanity and also IVF, after all there is no shorgage of people. If you want IVF pay privately.

[boxtops]

I think so too, kayless - the NHS cannot afford procedures which are for cosmetic reasons. I don't understand the IVF issue either - in my time, if you couldn't have a child (which I couldn't) you had to come to terms with it. The NHS is still needing to save millions to get into financial balance in the next couple of years - core services need to be their priority.

[New Judge]

The “reconstructive” type of cosmetic surgery necessary following, say, an accident, should certainly be available on the NHS. All other cosmetic surgery should not be funded.

IVF should not be funded at all and in my view should not even be permitted privately. The NHS certainly cannot afford to provide such a luxury product anyway. Furthermore there is an overwhelming argument for worldwide population reduction and the UK could play its role in such a strategy.

[daisya]

Agree with both of the above.

[cathfromsaron]

i agree with purely/true cosmetic surgery being privately funded, but reconstruction after surgery should be funded!

and IVF is a tricky one ... it IS a medical issue BUT there are lots of people having it when they have already had babies naturally (with a different partner or whatever ...) so it does make me wonder what the criteria is!

[AlBags]

Mos ridiculous thing I heard of were breast implants (enlargements) done on NHS for psychological reasons (NOT because there were none or removed breast tissue to start with) ...
Should that type of issue not need addressing in a different way?
I think NHS makes IVF treatment VERY difficult to achieve .. and then it's a one-shot go at it only.

[daffy654]

I agree too. Gender reassignment should not be paid for by the NHS either.


Why is this question in the insurance section btw?

[Frank97]

Totally agree with all of the above.

[hc4361]

Some health authorities fund no IVF cycles at all, others between 1 and 3 cycles. It really is a post code lottery.

Don't forget a lot of people pay for IVF privately.

[bednobs]

what cosmetic surgery is NOT for vanity? ok so you may have been horribly disfigured in an accident, but having it corrected is vanity - it doesn't help health

[AlBags]

Removal of scar tissue for one.

[bednobs]

what, having scar tissue removed is medically necessary?

[AlBags]

I think for some poor souls yes.
Limb and joint movement .. tractability .. and so on.
Maybe certain facial stuff too.

[AlBags]

(I do consider it far too lax now tho)
I'm not too sure certain medical facilities should be available to illegal immigrants .. and other immigrants too .. unless they are UK taxpayers.

[bigglez]

y cant man boobs b chopd

[New Judge]

Translation, please.

[bednobs]

breast reduction for men ^^^^
Anyway, don't get me wrong, i do think cosmetic surgery for those in fires/accidents should be paid for (i'm sort of in the middle about ivf - where i live there is a very strict criteria which seems right - ie under 34, BMI under 29, non smoker of both parents, no other living children including adopted children etc etc and i can't understand why it's different elsewhere)
I notice that the article does not say that these people actually get these treatments, just that they apply to delay their cases

[flip_flop]

Vanity surgery, sex-changes and IVF are lifestyle choices and should not be funded by the tax payer.

[emmie]

medical problems of the nature as described, if you have been in a serious accident then you get reconstructive surgery, but no to IVF, breast enlargement, gastric bands, health tourists, and sundry other completely unnecessary procedures. If they want it done, then sorry it's down to paying to go private.

[glasman]

So if a poor family are unable to have children by natural methods, then (by the reckoning of most of you ), they should not have any at all?