THE vast majority of people in the UK . But would that still hold true if treatments for cancer or hip and knee surgery were to be rationed on a regular basis?
As the NHS deepens, it would appear that with increasing longevity and complexity of medical conditions the economic burden on health and social care has no limit. So such questions arise.
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It remains a challenge, even more so in the current climate, to balance finances with health benefits for the population. Can we as a society afford to devote significant sums of money to the treatment of a small number of patients if it means that a larger population faces adverse health outcomes from funding cuts elsewhere in the NHS?
This is the debate swirling around a for health and Care Excellence (NICE), a body that decides which treatments the NHS funds. It wants to change the thresholds for financing drugs to treat rare conditions.
鈥淚t is a reflection of us as a society that we continue to recognise the suffering of those with rare conditions鈥�
In broad terms, it recommends automatically funding them up to 拢100,000 per Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY), a way of judging the cost-effectiveness of a treatment. Although those above 拢100,000 may still be considered, critics say they would be much less likely to get through. The , . It fears the threshold will simply stop the flow of such medicines.
As general care improves and populations age or grow, people with rare conditions are likely to be more numerous and live longer. The number of drugs available to treat such diseases is also likely to rise with advances in life sciences and related research focusing on new therapies.
It is a reflection of us as a society that we recognise the suffering of those with rare and debilitating conditions and continue to invest in life-improving treatments for them.
This must hold true even when we are faced with difficult choices and finite resources. The price that we place on ourselves and our loved ones must be the one we place on others too.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淎 price on health鈥�
