3 ms·
At the risk of oversharing too much personal information, similar stuff happens in the UK. I have a hereditary condition that can be treated with a specific dr
by pomatic 3y ago
At the risk of oversharing too much personal information, similar stuff happens in the UK. I have a hereditary condition that can be treated with a specific drug (quality of life changing impact). My sister shares the same condition. She has access to the drug because she lives in Wales, UK which has degree of autonomy from England, UK's health service. I don't have access to the same drug, with the same condition because I live in England. The drug concerned is also incredibly cheap to manufacture, and is widely available elsewhere, but big pharma has chosen to place a ridiculous premium on it despite the fact it's long paid back the R&D costs. It is scandalous, and it needs government policy-level intervention. There are MANY similar examples of this kind of market abuse.
PS. I'm not looking for suggestions to resolve this issue - I'm confident every avenue has been exhausted and am resigned to the situation. I make this post this to explain how abusive some market operators are, and how arbitrary access to medication can be even in fully developed nations.
- ageitgey 3y agoI'm not making any suggestions about your case. I'm just curious based on your experience, would it be plausible for someone in England to just sign up with a GP in Wales if they wanted to if the treatment offered was different than England (or the reverse)? I'm not suggesting that anyone commits fraud or suggesting that this was a practical solution in your case. I'm just curious if that is illegal or how that is enforced. All I could find was this: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/part-rel/x-border-health/xb-faq/#q13 https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/part-rel/x-border-health/...
- pomatic 3y agoTheoretically it could work for someone living on the border I think, but the funding process is discretionary and I guess that might increase the likelihood of NHS Wales refusing the application.