Wow - this is hard. Needing medical treatment not available under NHS.

[itsgettingwierd]

I'll be first to admit I'm not really sure what side of the fence I sit on this.

It's a real head and heart story.

My heart wishes we could just provide this care despite knowing outcomes for this type of leukaemia aren't great.

My head realises we cannot afford to fund treatment for everyone and anyone who is in the country and the NHS is already struggling and it's a lot of money for treatment that may not work.

Anyone else feeling so sad yet torn by this?

Very sadly we cannot treat everyone on the planet. We have about 70m people in the UK and there are 7.6bn people on the earth most of whom do not have free at point of treatment medical systems unlike the NHS. This boy was rich enough to come here for a private eye operation something most people in the UK could not afford bu they cannot afford £800k for his cancer treatment. There have been some other cases from Nigeria too - like the lady who was expecting IVF quads( sadly 2 died but 2 lived. I am not sure if she paid the £500k and whether or not she is still in the UK. www.standard.co.uk/news/london/nigerian-mum-who-gave-birth-to-quadruplets-in-west-london-hospital-unable-to-afford-ps500-000-nhs-bill-a3455181.html.

By the way it is worth in case any of us gets holidays in the EU in the summer reminding everyone their EHIC card still works and before it reaches its expiry date you apply for a new card called GHIC. Some of our EHICs expire after our summer holiday in the EU so later this year I need to remember to apply for the new GHICs www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/apply-for-a-free-uk-global-health-insurance-card-ghic/

I think if the parents are willing to contribute 30,000 like suggested yes they should be helped. The story is heartbreaking and since the child is already here like most people they get treated before payment. I’ve seen it happen many times with adults.

Very sad circumstances but this boy has been ill for 3 years and (according to the GoFundMe page) had a diagnosis and tests in Lagos .
Then the removal of his eye which prompted the journey to the UK for the prosthetic (at a cost of £5000 which I assume the parents are funding)

So , 5 months after the removal of his eye , they tavel ( family of 5) in times of Covid restrictions with an ill child for a surgery which TBH isnt 100% time critical ( replacing the eye)
When he is diagnosed with a different cancer .

And his parents didn;t think to check to take out insurance ?
Or find out the legalities of NHS Care ?

I have every sympathy and treatment should commence as soon as possible , if it is possible to find him a hospital and a donor But absolutely at their cost , not the NHS .

As an aside , I went on holiday to a Non EU country and had to have emergency surgery and a second surgery . I had bloody good Insurance . Without it I would have died , they would not have treated me .
First surgery was £8000 , total bill £40000 .
I would've had to raise the money somehow !

The Nigerian Government should pay - and they have done before in other cases.

This is quite a common situation - and usually international government's do pay.

However, ultimately, the family should have been travelling with proper travel insurance for their child.

It's a sad story. Perhaps some very rich person will come forward.

@BearEastie

The Nigerian Government should pay - and they have done before in other cases.

This is quite a common situation - and usually international government's do pay.

However, ultimately, the family should have been travelling with proper travel insurance for their child.

If they were willing to pay in Nigeria I’m sure they would of tried that route before paying to come to UK. Also Nigeria is a 3rd world Country are their facilities advanced as UK..

@Holirem2 They have paid for treatment in the UK before.

I hate the term "third-world country" - there is quite a lot of wealth in Nigeria (oil), however, there's also quite a lot of corruption. Wealth is definitely not evenly distributed though.

Sadly this child should not be treated on NHS however I think this is the sort of case Overseas Aid should be used for. We keep hearing OSA has been used to fund bands and goodness knows what in other countries, and other wasteful causes. It should be used for health care overseas.

[quote BearEastie]@Holirem2 They have paid for treatment in the UK before.

I hate the term "third-world country" - there is quite a lot of wealth in Nigeria (oil), however, there's also quite a lot of corruption. Wealth is definitely not evenly distributed though.[/quote]
Have you personally travelled to Nigeria? It is 3rd world, they have NO benefit system so the fact they have “oil” and a corrupt government doesn’t justify a dam thing. I hate people who speak so casually about poverty and pipe up with ohhh well they have “oil”... mean while we (assuming you live in UK) have a comfortable benefit system in place and a not so corrupt gov!

Yes I have, several times - the Government can afford to pay privately for treatment on the NHS (ie the wealth), and the countries money comes from Oil.

Neither fact can be disputed.

I never said they had a benefit system, either.

Third World is a derogatory term.

I work in Int Dev research a lot of the time- I've lived and worked in many countries in Africa, stating countries are third world is derogatory and not helpful to development.

@BearEastie it’s not derogatory. It’s the reality that your trying to down play. Nigeria clearly are not going to do that other wise like I said they would not of left their Country to pay to travel to UK if Nigeria was “so willing like your saying”.

No you didn’t say they had a benefit system I was pointing out to you that they are a poor Country despite having “oil” the rich people in Nigeria are not the majority so I’m not sure why you are bringing “oil” into the debate because when I told you they have no benefit system... you don’t want to hear it. What good is oil with no benefit system???

Third world is exactly what it is and stating Nigeria have “oil” is an insult... to the people who do not benefit from this and that’s the majority.

@Holirem2 Where have I said they are "so willing"? No where, I have said it does happen, and it happens more often than people are aware of.

Do you know who is footing the original medical bill?

So perhaps read the posts and stop making things up that I am not actually saying.

Nigeria has wealth, it is not distributed fairly or evenly, but their government does have the ability to pay for NHS treatment for it's citizens and has done in the past.

And yes, it is derogatory - I bloody love Nigeria and I am proud it's a country that's part of my heritage as well as my life now.

My reading of that peice was that even with the treatment, his chances weren't good? Also said he needed a bone marrow transplant, aren't these really difficult to to find a matching donor?

• This is quite a common situation - and usually international government's do pay.
• @BearEastie

I’m not making anything up. Yes they have oil, however like I said having oil with no benefit system what use is that? So it’s not just a case of it’s wealth being u fairly disrupted.

Let’s be honest. We couldn’t manage in UK without a benefit system either. Let’s not pretend.

He can’t be saved - just look at how many cancers he’s had and the type. That’s why they aren’t getting the treatment they need. Lifesaving treatment is never denied to children where it is of benefit - the NHS has avenues it can use to recover money. In this situation it’s obvious it’s not in the child’s best interest and the parents may have asked the mirror to publish this to fundraise treatment overseas.

His treatment would cost £825,000 - the NHS doesn't have a bottomless pit of money so it means someone else could not get treated. What if that were one of your parents or your child?

It’s a very sad story but the NHS cannot fund the whole worlds healthcare, and if an exception is made for this case - healthcare tourism will increae putting additional strain on an already pressured system. This treatment would need to be paid for in other countries like the USA, so it needs to be paid for here to. The NHS is not a charity