I heard this report on the radio first thing this morning. It made me think. We consider ourselves very lucky, and rightly so, but when reports like this hit the headlines, you begin to wonder, maybe we should have some sort of half and half health service.

The report said that cancer sufferers are to be denied a 'miracle' drug on the NHS which is used routinely in almost every country in the Western world.
Avastin can extend the lives of bowel cancer sufferers by at least two years and often much longer.

However, the Government rationing body NICE ruled yesterday that it must stay banned because it is too expensive.

Patient: Barbara Moss, with husband Mark, was given three months to live when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2006. She is now in remission and is convinced Avastin saved her life
The result is that thousands of sufferers with the advanced form of the disease will not get the drug on the NHS - despite the fact that those living in France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Australia and Canada are all prescribed it for free.
The veto could mean that Avastin is one of the first treatments to be paid for by the Government's new emergency cancer drugs' fund, which it has pledged to launch in October.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1305582/Avastin-cancer-drug-banned-NHS.html#ixzz0xVHKz0dh