There's an article on the New York Times website about the controversy over patients -- particularly cancer patients -- who want to pay privately for parts of their treatment (by purchasing drugs the NHS won't cover, for example) while receiving the rest of their treatment at no charge on the NHS.

-- Leslie

Unfortunately leslie this is something that has been happening here for far too long.the national health is split up in to regional authorities and local authorities.They are each given a budget for the year and these decisions are purely financial.So they tell us if we want the treatment we have to pay for it,and we say fine i will pay for it.Then they say well if you decide to go down that route you will have to pay for all your related treatment and tests.So depending on where you live in this country could decide wether you live or die.

Great system isn't it? the use of IMRT IS JUST BEING PHASED IN TO THE UK,and there are only a very few hospitals that have the equipment,so the same thing is happening,if you need IMRT you have to travel hundreds of miles unless you are near to a centre that has a machine,because the cost of the equipment and the space needed to install them makes their purchase by most health authorities out of the question.

We call it the cancer lottery.An appropriate title i think.