Failure of setting up a £200 million fund for cancer drugs could spell trouble for hundreds of cancer patients. The Tories had promised the fund for the patients, who are in need funds for treatment. But the government is denying any guarantee for the fund.

If The Rarer Cancers Foundation is to be believed, then nearly 3,600 cancer patients could succumb to the deadly disease even if half of the mentioned funds are made available.

However, the medical journal Lancet termed the fund as ‘indefensible’ and criticized that the funds may lead to postcode lottery. It may be injustice on patients suffering from multiple sclerosis and dementia who face similar difficulties in getting access to good treatment.

The Rarer Cancers Foundation is arguing that the fund is highly needed as the number of cancer patients in need of access to drugs is high and ever-increasing. The charity also asked the manufacturers to reduce the medicine prices.

Another factor that goes against the RCF’s demands is that the funds won’t be used for life-saving drugs but only those drugs that extend the patients life by a few months. The charity is determining the number of patients eligible for the drug fund by looking at the pleas received by National Health Service for the same.

According to Andrew Wilson, RCF’s chief executive, the fund will help the patients and doctors in decision-making but all this is not possible if there are not sufficient funds for the treatment.

The amount was decided on ?200 million until April 2011 but later the government announced that only ?50 million will be released for six months starting from October. RCF alleges that if only ?50 million was available for six months then by the end of 12 months, it could easily affect 3,600 patients.

Source:

BBC News