Father facing fight for crucial heart op
A FATHER-OF-TWO with a life-threatening heart defect says he will raise £25,000 to have keyhole surgery in England after he was turned down for the procedure on the Scottish NHS.
Mark Hamill, from Cumbernauld was diagnosed with mitral valve disease in 2011 and in June 2017 his cardiologist told him the faulty valve had developed a potentially deadly leak and had to be repaired or replaced.
Mark was initially referred by NHS Lanarkshire to the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank.
His referral request has now been declined by NHS Lanarkshire, but he is appealing the decision.
The 54-year-old said he had been told his health will become critical unless he has surgery within six to nine months. However, he said he is still set against the sternotomy, even if it means paying for keyhole surgery himself.
He said: “It’s £25,000 privately. But I don’t see why I should. I’ve worked every day of my life. I don’t smoke – I’ve never smoked. I look after myself, I pay my taxes like everybody else, my family all work, so I don’t see why we should have to pay for something that the NHS should be picking up.”
Dr Jane Burns, NHS Lanarkshire acute divisional medical director, said: “We cannot comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality.”
A spokeswoman for the Golden Jubilee said it was considering offering minimally invasive mitral valve surgery in future but added: “In experienced centres, evidence shows that both procedures are safe and effective in treating mitral valve disease.”