Go Home and Die… For Free!
Here’s the latest British socialized medicine success story.
Friends of Manchester broadcaster Anthony Wilson are helping pay for his £3,500-a-month kidney cancer treatment after the NHS refused to fund it.
Wilson, 56, famous for setting up the Hacienda nightclub and Factory Records, had a kidney removed in January.
Doctors recommended he take the drug Sutent, after chemotherapy failed to beat the disease.
Members of the Happy Mondays and other acts he has supported over the years have started a fund to help pay for it.
He says his condition has improved and he believes the drug has stopped the cancer in its tracks.
He was turned down by the NHS, while patients being treated alongside him at The Christie Hospital and living just a few miles away in Cheshire are receiving funding for the therapy.
Okay, let me see if I get this straight. Britain, a country with “free” healthcare, which is “universal” and available to all citizens without charge, is refusing to pay for cancer drugs which could prolong this man’s life.
He said: “This is my only real option. It is not a cure but can hold the cancer back, so I will probably be on it until I die.
“When they said I would have to pay £3,500 for the drugs each month, I thought where am I going to find the money? I’m the one person in this industry who famously has never made any money.
“I used to say some people make money and some make history - which is very funny until you find you can’t afford to keep yourself alive.
“I’ve never paid for private healthcare because I’m a socialist. Now I find you can get tummy tucks and cosmetic surgery on the NHS but not the drugs I need to stay alive. It is a scandal.”
And that right there shows the inherent danger of socialism, and why Americans will fight tooth and nail to keep this insidious blight on humanity from taking over our healthcare system. He stupidly placed his faith in government to be there for him, and the government told him to blow it out his ass.
I expect Michael Moore to be on the next plane to the UK to demand that this man be given his treatment. Or, at least he should buy him a ticket to Cuba. As a socialist he should see the wonderful results of what his political beliefs have wrought on the Cuban people. And besides, his cancer drugs are only 5¢ each there. Didn’t he watch Sicko?
Update It appears that this is an old article—I didn’t catch the date, but it’s from July. It seems that since then Tony Wilson has died. It’s a shame he didn’t take advantage of that free Cuban healthcare when he had the chance. Our condolences to his family.
Comments
As I mentioned before, the big problem with socialised healthcare is budgetary restraints.
It’s a horrible situation but essentially when you’re tied to a budget you have to choose between treatment for patient x or treatment for patient y or a new machine or something.
Cancer sufferers with a low chance of survival are on the bottom of this list as the expensive treatment merely prolongs their life for a few more months.
When you include smart-ass comments in the same line with condolences, it ruins your sincerity.
Cancer sufferers with a low chance of survival are on the bottom of this list as the expensive treatment merely prolongs their life for a few more months.
Ah . . . and now we have an indication of how the NHS in the UK would have dealt with Tracey Pierce, Moore’s example of an HMO denial which turned out to be an experimental treatment (bone marrow transplant) for kidney cancer.
As I mentioned before, the big problem with socialised healthcare is budgetary restraints.
The big problem with ALL heatlh care systems is budget restraints. There comes a time when the only practical, and for that matter, moral thing to do is fund other causes with higher probabilities of success. Coming from either the public or private sector, there is no such thing as unlimited funds for health care.
This fact was an obvious and deliberate omission from Sicko which is absolutely vital to any discussion on health care. And it’s a fact that idealists will avoid discussing because in the fantasy world they live in, money is never a concern.
Posted by Timothy on 08/16/2007 at 01:50 PM (Link to this comment | )
When you include smart-ass comments in the same line with condolences, it ruins your sincerity.
I didn’t care for it either. Not everything is political.
When Timothy’s major contribution to this site is:
I see that you Moore bashers and haters are still really reaching to discredit this film in anyway you can with lame attempts by pointing at Cuba. Well go ahead. This website is tiny compared to what Michael Moore has accomplished through his movies, website and other publicity. He’s got you guys beat. His movies are way way bigger than this website will ever be. In the grand scheme of things, this website doesn’t matter.
I think we’ll take advice about condolence etiquette from someone else.
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Lee you are a bit behind the times on this one :(
Tony Wilson Dies RIP AKA Anthony Wilson