The Plymouth Evening Herald reported on 14th November 2007 that a dying former dockyard worker with asbestos-related cancer is spending his life savings on a drug 'not routinely' available on the NHS in England.
Victor Lamb is paying a minimum of £12,000 for three sessions of chemotherapy drug Alimta, which doctors said offers the best chance of extending his life, he told The Herald.
The drug is available free in Scotland, but local health authorities decide who receives it in England because national guidelines on its use have not been finalised.
Since Victor was diagnosed with mesothelioma four months ago, the one-inch tumour has spread rapidly through his lungs and into his spine and ribs.The 66-year-old former carpenter, who lives in Whitsand Bay with his wife Carol, has been told he may not survive until Christmas without treatment."It may be too late for me but I want to raise awareness so maybe other people can get this drug," he said yesterday."I hope I live to spend Christmas with my grandchildren and to see my daughter married in February. They say Alimta's my best chance."I'm worried about having to pay for it ourselves, but there's no option.
Plymouth has been identified as the UK's fourth-largest 'hotspot' for asbestos-related deaths due to its past use at Devonport Dockyard, in ships and buildings.The latest figures show that 320 people in Plymouth died from mesothelioma caused by asbestos between 1985 and 2004, with cases expected to peak between 2011 and 2015.
Victor received £12,000 in compensation from the Ministry of Defence in 2004 - and said this meant he was not eligible for any further compensation payments.
To read the full story click on the link below
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=181429&command=displayContent&sourceNode=229968&home=yes&more_nodeId1=133174&contentPK=19139942
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment