A FORMER cancer patient has praised Government plans to set aside £50 million to buy more drugs for sufferers.
Ann Davidson, from Burton, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, believes too many medicines are currently unavailable because they cost too much for primary care trusts to buy.
She hopes the extra funding will finally bring an end to the postcode lottery that exists with cancer treatments.
Mrs Davidson now helps to run the Burton Breast Care Support Group, a group for survivors of breast cancer which meets at Queen’s Hospital.
She is also part of the patient partnership forum, which aims to improve the provision of healthcare in local hospitals.
Mrs Davidson said: “I welcome the £50 million fund to be spent on extra cancer drugs.
“At the moment, there is a postcode lottery.
For instance, people receiving cancer treatment in Derbyshire could have access to one kind of drug, yet a completely different drug could be on offer in Staffordshire.
She said: “I can remember the days before the two-week guarantee came in.
It could be six to 12 months before you saw the specialist.
“Patients often used to pay to see private doctors and because of this I think the two-week guarantee is a fantastic thing.”
