Living Without HepC

I have picked up this article through Martin posting about it on the Forum and feel strongly about it also.

In the East Anglian Daily Times, Suffolk UK, this week there is an article entitled “Hepatitis C ‘Time Bomb’ Shock”. An expert in infectious diseases warns there are an estimated 2,700 undetected carriers of Hepatitis C in Suffolk that could have a potentially fatal “ticking time bomb” in their liver. This equates to every GP having possibly three undetected carriers on their list.

Not a particularly contentious piece of information to those who have awareness about Hepatitis C – these figures reflect the Department of Health statistics. And represent the local view of the national picture.

The article goes on to say:

However, Dr Gareth Richards, president of the Suffolk division of the British Medical Association, which represents GPs, said finding three carriers from their lists would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

He added: “The only treatment we have for Hepatitis C is expensive and not terribly effective. When the NHS as a whole in Suffolk is overspent you have to ask ‘do you want to find people who are going to cost £10-15,000 to treat year after year?’

“There are a lot of priorities. If the Government earmarked money for Hepatitis C we would have to look at it. I think probably there are more important things. Of course, it is very important if you have got Hepatitis C but if you’re looking at the amount of money, would you be better off spending it on health education, needle exchanges for drug addicts so they are less likely to pass it around and safe sex messages?

“We still get a lot of people dying from heart disease, which is preventable, and poorly managed diabetes. They cost money to treat but have greater returns in terms of lives saved then Hepatitis C.”

So, Dr Richards says, why bother identifying people who need treatment – especially when it costs money to treat them and after all there are greater returns in treating people with more important illnesses like heart disease and diabetes in terms of lives saved. Ignore anyone who has the illness currently and spend some money educating drug addicts and the problem will be addressed.

And what does he mean – it might be important to me if I have Hepatitis C but the NHS would be better off spending the money on education, needle exchanges and safe sex messages. I shouldn’t have money spent on my treatment for an illness but be pleased to see it spent on that shopping list? If Dr thinks that strategy is a wise way to address the ‘time bomb’ God help us. He needs to be educated for a start on the actual risk factors not the hype.

I am stunned and speechless at this outrageous and ignorant stance by a doctor commenting about people’s health issues. And a doctor in some position of power as a representative of the doctors professional association setting the tone for other doctors in his local region.

Is this really how doctors talk and think? Is this how our Health Service looks after the people who pay for the Health Service?

Or is this man so used to playing God he feels quite comfortable sitting in judgement about which illnesses are deserving and which aren’t. He obviously is not in touch with his patronising arrogance or his ignorance about the risk factors of the HepC ‘time bomb’.

I am so furious I don’t think I can say anymore at this point.