Bad time for people on low income

Published on 9th November 2006 in Letters

Sir - This week I noticed yet again another rather sad article about the NHS or, more importantly, the organisation NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence, now regarded as the body which always says no - and it does).

It has turned down Velcade (a cancer drug) which apparently has proved to be of great help to cancer sufferers. I am assuming it was turned down because it is too expensive or too many cancer sufferers are requesting it and the NHS can't afford it. For these cancer sufferers it can mean life or death.

Funnily enough, in another article this week I spotted a report from the NHS that tens of millions of pounds were spent by the NHS last year on removal of 200,000 tattoos. I wonder if anyone from the NHS passed that lot via NICE!

On another note this week, I was very disappointed that the government has left the Royal Mail and the Post Office in the situation where they are pulling in opposite directions. I believe we cannot allow these two organisations to go down the pan: too many of our vulnerable elderly people, as well as families on very low incomes, need these two organisations to continue in the partly-public sector.

Jane Marsden

Clifton Gardens, Goole