Cancer drugs top-up attack

A DOCTORS’ leader has branded the Government U-turn on drug top-up payments as a “nail in the coffin” for universal health care.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson gave the go-ahead for terminally ill cancer patients to buy extra life-saving drugs privately without losing free care under the NHS.

The proposals would mean patients paying to receive specialised drug-treatments privately.

Dr Kailash Chand, GP representative and member of the British Medical Association’s national council, said allowing the top-ups would create a two-tier NHS.

He said the most frequent users of the NHS including the elderly, sick and poor would miss out.

Dr Chand said: “Patient charges undermine the core principles of the NHS, and a system that allowed top-up payments would be regressive, in that it would penalise the poor, the sick and the old — the most frequent users of the NHS.

“Over time a system of co-payments could reduce the NHS to providing basic services only, with the more elaborate or expensive treatments requiring top-ups and, therefore, only available to the wealthy.”

The Government’s proposals were put forward following a four-month review of top-up fees by cancer tsar Professor Mike Richards.

Current rules mean people should be excluded from the NHS if they pay for private treatment, although trusts ignore the guidance.

Dr Chand said: “There are no guidelines to questions such as what to do if a treatment is working but a patient runs out of money or who picks up the bill for treating the side-effects of treatment.

Gail Richards, chief executive of Oldham Primary Care Trust, said: “We welcome this clarification around access to some end of life drugs.

“We look forward to receiving further information so we can ensure patients across Oldham will benefit.

“The PCT already has an equitable process in place to guide decision-making and we are committed to reviewing this as the detail from Professor Mike Richards becomes available.”