A ruling
by the European Court of Justice has paved the way for patients
on long NHS waiting lists to seek treatment within another
EU country, with the Department of Health to fit the bill.
The ruling by the European Court of Justice followed a case
brought by two Dutch patients whose government refused to
pay for their necessary treatment abroad.
It
effectively means that patients within all EU countries
will be entitled to seek treatment abroad unless their own
government can offer 'the same or equally effective treatment
without undue delay'. Patients can already be referred to
a hospital within another EU country if the treatment is
not available in the home country. In the UK last year for
example, this option was only taken by about 1,100 patients.
Several
EU countries, particularly Germany and France, have minimal
waiting lists compared to the UK. German wards for example,
often contain smaller beds and have more staff. This ruling
will be a huge relief for patients with debilitating, painful
and deterioating conditions such as cataracts that usually
have long waiting lists.
The
Department of Health is reviewing thie implications of this
ruling. The BMA argue that some family doctors may be reluctant
to use the option because of the difficulties that could
arise in follow-up care.
Comment:
This sounds like excellent news for NHS patients who have
to wait years for a much needed operation. People are predicting
the development of hospitals in Calais and Dieppe that will
take NHS patients for basic surgical procedures such as
cataract removal.
