Pernicious Anaemia Society

“Pernicious Anaemia Patients Forced To Seek Treatment in the Private Sector”

Date:22/10/09
Time: 1p.m.
Embargoed until: 1 p.m.
Thursday 22nd October, 2009.
Download PDF: 20091022-02.pdf

Patients suffering from Pernicious Anaemia are being forced to seek treatment in the Private Sector because of the lack of choice of treatment regime offered by the N.H.S.

“Our members are not all the same and some respond to different treatment methods” says Martyn Hooper, the founder and Chairman of the Pernicious Anaemia Society, a new charity that provides information, advice and support for patients with Pernicious Anaemia.

“The treatment regime offered by the N.H.S. is very rigid” he says, “and whilst an injection every three months is fine for some of our members, others struggle and need more frequent injections. Unfortunately this request for more frequent injections of a harmless vitamin is usually met with the offer of prescribed anti-depressants” says Martyn.

Many members of the society seek help in the private sector where Vitamin B12 Infusions can be bought. “The form of B12 used is able to be injected straight into the bloodstream and the patient can then self-inject using the same needles used by diabetics” says Alex Critchlow, Membership Secretary of the Society. “It’s estimated that the cost of using nurses to administer the injections is at least £20 million per year” she says. “If NHS patients used the same treatment method used in the private sector at lease £20 million could be saved in nurse time and the patient would be more productive” she says.

Further Information from M. Hooper. 01656 724163/720187 07545897608