Friday, September 9, 2011

UK Cancer Test Rationing

The 9/8/2011 UK Daily Mail reports, "GPs ordered to ration cancer scans".

From the article:
Family doctors have been ordered to ration the number of patients they send for life-saving cancer scans to save money.

They are being told to slash the number they refer to hospital for tests including ultrasounds, MRIs and CT scans commonly used to spot tumours.

Last night experts warned the cost-saving measures increased the risk of patients being diagnosed too late and dying unnecessarily.

Britain has one of the lowest cancer survival rates in Europe, and experts say late diagnosis is to blame...
(Read the full text of "GPs ordered to ration cancer scans".)

Despite the many claims of US admirers of the UK socialized medicine service claiming that the UK wasn't engaging in medical rationing, the truth is becoming clearer to all.

Of course, such rationing will save money for "the system". But it's unlikely to improve the already-dismal UK cancer survival statistics.

(Via D4PC.)