Date published: 2006/05/16
The BBC says:
UK patients forced to wait longer than they should for NHS treatment are entitled to reclaim the cost of being treated in Europe, a court has ruled.
The European Court of Justice said the NHS must refund costs if patients waited longer than clinicians advised, even if waiting time targets were met.
The court was ruling in the case of Yvonne Watts, 75, of Bedford, who paid £3,900 for a hip operation in France.
But it said in her case UK courts would have to decide if she got a refund.
Mrs Watts said the news was "wonderful" and that if she got the money back she would donate it to a medical charity.
The case, which centres on the definition of "undue delay", could have a significant impact on the NHS.
It will allow any patient facing an unacceptable delay who has the funds to pay for an operation upfront to seek treatment abroad and recoup the costs from the NHS.
A rather ridiculous judgement. It says that if people want to then they can queue jump health treatment. And if you can be treated for free in Europe then how is that morally different than being able to opt for private treatment in the UK, at taxpayers' expense, if there is an "undue delay" in the NHS. (And as far as every patient is concerned, any delay is "undue".)
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