Costly treatment

I’M GLAD Richard Joscelyne received such wonderful pre-booked proton radiation cancer treatment in Prague ( Letters), doubtless in a private hospital at high cost to himself or his insurers. I have a very different story of my recent experience in Prague.

While on holiday, I had a nasty fall at Karlstejn castle, 45 minutes by train from the Czech capital, and was unconscious when found by some kind people who rang for assistance.

The main thing I remember on coming round in the 20-year-old boneshaker of an ambulance and during a five-hour stay at an outdated state hospital was the repeated question: ‘How will you pay?’

The next day, one of the medics telephoned my hotel, asking again for the European Health Insurance Card information to be faxed through.

After ten days, I returned to the hospital hoping to have my stitches removed. With the help of a Czech gentleman, I eventually found, after an hour of searching, a department named ‘ foreign visitors’, where I waited for several hours and was once more asked for the same payment details — so I gave up.

On my return to the UK, my practice nurse removed the stitches within five minutes. The waiting room, meanwhile, was apparently full of non-British people being treated free by the NHS.

Maybe the reason why no money is available here for any more expensive proton treatment centres is that the NHS offers free treatment to all economic migrants or holiday visitors alike, no questions asked.

It costs us millions, but the arrangement is obviously not reciprocated by other EU countries.

KEITH JACKSON, northampton.