MP supports grandad’s battle for cancer drug (From This is Hampshire)
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Bid to persuade Hampshire health bosses to change their minds...
3:49pm Wednesday 16th June 2010 in News
Cancer patient Dave Dillon with his wife Gerri
A HAMPSHIRE MP has vowed to help a Hampshire grandad fight for the life-saving drugs that could give him precious extra time with his devoted grandchildren.
After reading Dave Dillon’s plight in yesterday’s Daily Echo, Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne has invited the family to meet him later this week to discuss a plan of action.
With a death sentence hanging over his head, the 65-year-old is hoping that with his doctors at Southampton General Hospital and Mr Huhne, they can persuade health bosses to rethink their decision and allow him the cancer drugs.
In the last seven years the grandad-of-four from Hedge End has battled colon and pelvic cancer but in December he was told the disease had spread to his lungs.
His doctors believe he is a prime candidate for cetuximab, which could extend his life by more than two years but the PCT has refused to fund the £32,000 treatment, leaving Dave with just nine months to live.
Health chiefs say the decision to refuse treatment was based on guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which recommends against its use unless an exceptional case is made.
Dave, who only retired last August from his job as a manager at a building company, is appealing that decision but faces an agonising wait to find out his fate.
Mr Huhne has called Dave to arrange a meeting to discuss the case and how to put pressure on health bosses.
Mr Huhne said: “Obviously it is always the case that when people have paid in their contributions for a lifetime’s work they expect to get a proper service from the NHS and I am completely sympathetic to that.
“A strong point is that Mr Dillon’s doctors at the General are backing this treatment and that suggests to me, because they know the case and the guidelines that they believe this is an exceptional case that warrants consideration.
“I will call Mr Dillon and invite him to meet me on Friday so that we can discuss everything and see how we can build a case for the appeal.
“I hope together we can put pressure on NHS Hampshire and persuade them that Mr Dillon deserves this treatment.”
Comments(3)
Brite Spark
says...
5:46am Thu 17 Jun 10
Adrian Smith
says...
9:51am Thu 17 Jun 10
geoff51 wrote:How about we ask Mr Hackett (CEO of SUHT) why he was outside the General Hospital grounds (just outside on Tremona Road) this morning smoking on company time? I pay for this guy to work not to have a fag!
If NHS money was not spent on so called administrators and foreign health tourist there would be plenty of money actually available for those who have paid into it to get the treatment they are entitled to. Treatment should not be decided on the cost, only on the entitlement, if you have paid in you get the treatment, if you have not paid in, the bill will be given to you when you leave, that will stop the health tourists sucking the NHS dry!
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Besides the inevitable cost of his future lung cancer treatment this chap appears to have a weight problem as well - that pink shirt was hiding some muffin top! More preventable costs to the NHS.
geoff51 says...
9:24pm Wed 16 Jun 10
Treatment should not be decided on the cost, only on the entitlement, if you have paid in you get the treatment, if you have not paid in, the bill will be given to you when you leave, that will stop the health tourists sucking the NHS dry!