OUR story today about a group of Oxfordshire men who want to have sex change operations on the NHS is bound to infuriate many.
Each has been diagnosed with Gender Dysphoria — a condition that makes the sufferer feel like they are trapped inside the body of the wrong sex.
Many of us will not be able to empathise with their condition, but we are sure it must be a trying situation.
Their beef is with Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust which, unlike other health authorities, does not routinely fund sex change operations.
As of last night campaigners had managed to get as many as 1,000 people to sign a petition urging the PCT to reconsider its position when its policy comes up for review later on this year.
Their story once again opens up the perennial argument of what should and what should not be funded on the NHS. The surgical procedure costs between £10,000 and £50,000, the PCT says.
We would never suggest this was another so-called postcode lottery of healthcare, but we are living in a world now when everyone expects to be treated equally.
If individuals have paid their taxes and stamps regularly throughout their lives, then surely they are entitled to treatment on the NHS, aren’t they?
This was the same argument eloquently put forward by Oxfordshire’s Sunitinib campaigners, who argued that a kidney cancer drug — funded by other PCTs in the country — should be funded by the NHS in Oxfordshire.
They look to have won their battle, but where will it end?
We appreciate the health service, which is a sacred institution, has finite amounts of money.
But why should some people receive care and treatment and others not? Is it time the NHS drew up a menu of what is and what is not available on the state?
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