An RAF veteran diagnosed with terminal liver cancer has had his life savings wiped out – because the NHS in Wales won’t pay for his treatment.
Roy Bushen, 75, and wife Sandra have been forced to pay £18,000 for Selective Internal Radiotherapy Treatment (SIRT), which would prolong his life.
The keen model maker, who lives in Trecenydd, was diagnosed with bowel cancer last year and it was during treatment that doctors discovered the terminal liver cancer.
Mr Bushen said: “I feel totally let down. I feel they’ve got all that they can out of me and they’ve pushed me to the sidelines. I feel bitterness as there is so much money wasted in the NHS.”
Wife Sandra added: “I’m disgusted. We have both worked all of our lives yet there is no help for us.”
Mr Bushen served in the RAF on Christmas Island in the 1950s while nuclear tests were being carried out. He said friends and colleagues from that time have since died from cancer.
In England, SIRT is offered to selected groups of patients, without cost to them, at a number of specialist centres.
The couple, who have been happily married for 52 years, have approached Plaid Cymru AM and local councillor Lindsay Whittle for help with their case.
Mr Whittle, AM for South Wales East, said he had written to Health Minister Mark Drakeford raising concerns about the way Mr Bushen had been treated by the NHS.
“I’m awaiting a response but I am very concerned that this treatment for Mr Bushen’s liver cancer, which he describes as a magic bullet, has not been made available on the NHS, leaving him the alternative of finding £18,000 to have treatment privately.
“Mr Bushen has served his country and was one of those servicemen present when atomic weapons were tested at Christmas Island. He deserves much better from the NHS.”
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We care greatly about providing the best care for the people of Wales and our commitment is to the provision of cost-effective new treatments fairly to all. Whilst SIRT is not routinely available on the NHS in Wales, it is not routinely available on the NHS in England either.
“However, in Wales a request for funding can be made and considered by the all-Wales Individual Patient Funding Request panel should exceptionality be demonstrated by the patient’s clinician.”
This is another, on going issue, with the advancement of cancer treatments being made available by the scientific community.
Wales lags behind with all these issues, and it is alarming to note the comment from,`A Welsh Government spokesman`, who said, "Whilst SIRT is not routinely available on the NHS in Wales, it is not routinely available on the NHS in England either". Well, that makes it OK then?, forget Wales health is a totally devolved `responsibility` of the Assembly, and any reference to the English NHS is nebulous, in fact, under the circumstances, the reference is gratuitous nonsense, the Assembly Spokesman should be ashamed.
It is about time the Welsh Assembly took responsibility for this and similar case of nonavailability of life saving and life prolonging cancer treatments in Wales and stop using a failing, falling apart, deliberately cash starved, NHS in England as a guide to what may be best for Welsh Citizens.
To issue the occasional sound bite around election time about putting this or that into `drug` funds that very few can access, and those that can have to jump through hoops to get there, is not helping Patients, or, some of the best in the British Isles, Cancer Consultants, Oncologist, dedicated Cancer Nurses, and, all other clinicians and staff who work in this area of medicine in Wales.
All Welsh Politicians at the Assembly have to find ways to more effectively divide the cake between what is best for Welsh Citizens and What is best for their own sycophantic projects, into which they divert hundreds of thousand of pounds (millions in total) of tax payers money year on year, someone needs to seriously take a critical and forensic look at the way the Assembly spends our money, we need a forum, beyond the ballot box, from which Politicians can be advised about public opinion and closely scrutinised on such issues, they wont support such a creation of course because they don't feel we have the right to influence their spending habits subsidising what is no more than a private plane, thousands of pounds into Gypsy `problems`, subsidising cheap meals booze and private transport for Assembly Members etc etc.
I wish Mr and Mrs Bushen well on the journey they are currently enduring.
My heart goes out to you Roy and Sandra as my husband and I know exactly what you are going through. My husband Paul was diagnosed with bowel cancer in May 2012 and shortly after we were told Paul had secondary liver cancer. We were advised that an operation was not possible. Like yourselves we found out about SIRT but were advised that we would have to fund ourselves. We cashed in Pauls pension and used our savings to fund the treatment which Paul had in August 2013. A funding application was submitted but was rejected. Like you we had our story printed (in the South Wales Echo)and even though we received a fantastic response it has so far made no difference to the Welsh government and their attitude to the funding issues. I have contacted Carwyn Jones and have been assured by him that he and Mark Drakeford together with NHS representatives are looking into Pauls situation. We wish you all the best with your SIRT treatment and hope you get a positive result both with the treatment and the funding issues. If you wish to contact us the Caerphilly Observer has our email address, please feel free to contact me at any time.