Sight saving drug

[anotheoldgit]

This lunchtime I was viewing a report on Sky News stating that Some 20,000 people in this country will be condemned to blindness each year because of a government proposal to allow a vital drug to be restricted on the NHS, and yet it is still freely available in Scotland.

Ironically during the commercial break a charity organisation was appealing for viewers to pledge �3 per month towards saving sight in Third World countries. Perhaps in this instance charity should begin at home.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1 270459,00.html

[NJOK]

That's the thing about charity - it's voluntary.

Personally, I'm not all that bothered whether the person receiving my charity is in Rotherham or Addis Abbaba. In fact, if I had a choice between my �3 inoculating a child to prevent it from going blind, or it being put towards an expensive drug that curbs age-related sight loss, I'd probably go for the former - even if it is in the Third World.

Sorry!

[kwicky]

If stories like this keep coming out forget about devolution more likely revolution. There is only 1 NHS. I thought that is why privatisation got such a bad name because of the inequalities it threw up?

[Goodsoulette]

I mentioned this on another thread and noone liked it but I think reeducating people in other areas of health would help free up money to put into other areas of health care. I mentioned that gastroentiritis in very young bottle fed babies cost the NHS 1 billion a year, an illness rarely seen in breastfed babies pre solids. I know bottle feeding has its place but some mothers who could choose not to. I wonder how much alcohol costs the NHS each year, Im not talking about alcoholism but accidents involving drunks of a weekend must run into billions.

[Leilapups]

NICE has to rationalise what drugs are prescribed and which are not because the drugs are a cost to the tax payer and there is a finite amount of money, compared to an almost infinite demand. Some drugs work but are not considered worthwhile given the financial cost, to be prescribed to everyone that has the condition, only those acute or most likely to receive maximum benefit. The only alternative is generating more revenue through direct taxation and maybe a bit of stealth tax. I am all for that how about you?

[sandbach99]

I see little point in the NHS saving this money and spoiling peoples lives when these same people will be entitled to Disabled Living Allowance and a relative or friend be entitled to carers allowance.

Do the Goverment want a lot of old people to be forced into care homes so that there own homes come onto the housing market to ease the shortage of houses?

If you don't think these drugs should be issued, blindfold yourself and make a brew, try not to scald yourself, sit down and TV useless, computer useless, book useless. Music fed up of this CD ***** just knocked the CDs all over the floor, radio how do I find another station?

[anotheoldgit]

Some very good thought provoking answers.

NJOK your answer at the first read seemed rather harsh but when I thought it out I can see where you are coming from. If one has to make a desision between young or old then it has to be the young who should benefit, they have hopefully many more years of life left.

Kwicky A very good point one NHS for all. But when I say all, this should mean an NHS for all British people. There are far too many foreigners milking our NHS and have never contributed towards it. On holiday in the Mediterranean my wife substained a slight injury, and the Doctors bill cost over us �50 up front, and this was in an EU country.

Goodsoulette Not sure about Breast Fed v Bottle Fed surely if a responsible mother uses the appropriate sterilising measures, then there is little risk of gastroenteritis. I agree about the drunks though.

Leilapups More direct tax, more steath tax? I don't think so, re-directing more of our already overtaxed monies into the NHS instead of some of the other money wasting schemes the Goverment spends our money on, and then making sure that this extra money is then spent on the NHS wisely instead of providing more and more managers with their high salaries and company cars.

sandbach99 Seems so straight forward to the ordinary man in the street doesn't it ? But why can't our Bl**dy politicians see it this way?

[rabbitygirl]

Mmmm.. There's certainly plenty going on here. If only we had more money in the coffers eh? We could give everyone what they needed and less pain and misery to read about and experience. There is enough money you know. Its all about housekeeping. If the government ran finances like a good old fashioned housewife - essentials first and frivolities second there would be major changes. The waste in this country through sheer incompetence by those handling our money is outrageous. You read it every day (including today). You cant say pay more taxes - most of us are bled dry and those holding the purse strings waste masses of it. We would be better to keep more of our own money and get good insurance for our health needs the authorities wont supply. Or move to Scotland.

[Goodsoulette]

there are other ways to contract gastroentiritis, than poor sterilisation and breast milk contains a prebiotic where bottle milk does not, thats why they cost the nhs 1 billion and breast fed babies don't.