Cancer patient hits out at scan inequality
A CANCER patient paid £900 for a potentially life-saving scan that would be free if he lived in south Wales.
Stuart Davies, 69, from Llangollen, Denbighshire, has been fighting prostate cancer for six months after being clear of the disease for eight years.
Doctors at Wrexham Maelor Hospital needed to find out where exactly the cancer had spread to in his body to decide what type of treatment he would receive.
They recommended an MPMRI scan, which he paid for, and is awaiting the results. But he has learned it would have been done for free in south Wales.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said it is currently looking into whether it might be able to provide such services free.
The procedure been described by the Prostate Cancer UK charity as “a game-changing technique” that can “radically improve the accuracy of prostate cancer diagnosis”.
Mr Davies, when exploring treatment options, was told he: “could do an MP-MRI scan but it would cost me £900 because it’s not offered on the NHS here”.
He told the Daily Post: “I thought I would rather do that and find what exactly is wrong.”
Returning home from hospital, Mr Davies decided to research the scan and found it was offered for free by two health boards in Wales – Cwm Taf and Aneurin Bevan.
He added: “Why are we paying for a scan up in north Wales and they don’t have to pay for it in south Wales? And what is the Welsh Government doing, because they are the ones in charge of Betsi? I would ask the Health Minister, ‘Do you think it’s fair?’ And what about the people who cannot afford to put their hand in their pocket, what do they have to do? Die? It is a life-saver and while we are waiting for all this to happen, those cells inside my body are multiplying.”
Grace Lewis-Parry, Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board’s board secretary, said: “Patients at Wrexham Maelor Hospital are currently provided with other diagnostic tests for suspected prostate cancer.
“We are working with NHS Wales to look at ways in which we can introduce this new technique for patients.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We are aware of the new evidence supporting the introduction of pre-biopsy MPMRI for people with suspected prostate cancer. We are working through the NHS Urology Board to adopt this approach throughout Wales.
“A number of health boards have already introduced the new technique and others are providing patients with the existing diagnostic techniques recommended for suspected prostate cancer.”