CANCER sufferer Jean Murphy is celebrating after health bosses finally agreed to pay for her treatment.
The 63-year-old grandmother was given the good news on Wednesday by her specialist Professor Robert Hawkins, after he had been contacted by Salford Primary Care Trust.
The PCT, which had previously turned down four of her applications for the life-enhancing drug Sutent, has agreed to fund her treatment for as long as she needs it.
An ecstatic Jean, of Cleveland Avenue, Hope, said: "It is like winning the Lottery, Christmas and the queen giving me part of her kingdom all rolled into one.
"The way everyone has responded has been magnificent - but I am particularly grateful for the help I got from the Advertiser and from Councillor John Deas in starting a campaign to fund my treatment. The Advertiser have been magnificent and I will never be able to thank you enough."
Daughter Cathy Ostasz, 36, said: "I just can’t believe it - this is the best news I’ve ever had. I am so stunned I can’t find the words to express how happy I am."
Salford PCT chief executive Dr Mike Burrows confirmed they agreed to fund Sutent after Prof Hawkins explained she had responded well to treatment.
He said: "We hope the treatment continues to be effective for Mrs Murphy in line with the initial indications. NICE guidance states that patients currently receiving Sutent should have the option to continue therapy until the patient and their clinician consider it appropriate to stop.
"The funding of new high cost drugs will continue to be an emotive issue for PCTs to manage, given our responsibility as the local leader for health, and the need to work within the financial resources. The PCT has to act in a way that ensures we have high quality health services and treatments available to everyone in Salford."
Last month the Advertiser and Lib Dem councillor John Deas began the Jean Murphy Appeal which in three weeks has raised over £1,352 towards an estimated £25,000 needed to treat her as a private patient at The Christie. Cllr Deas, who lives near Jean and has become a close family friend, said: "This is fantastic news and a complete U-turn by the PCT.
"I can only imagine that they had a rethink because of all the adverse publicity."
The first meeting of the Jean Murphy Appeal trustees is due to go ahead tonight, Thursday, October 23, at 7pm in St Luke’s CE Church Hall, on the corner of Derby Road and Liverpool Street, Weaste.
Cllr Deas said the meeting will still go ahead because a decision has to be made on what to do with the cash raised so far.
He added: "What we would like to do is continue the campaign in case, God forbid, anyone else should be in a similar situation to Jean, and would need financial help."
Jean’s consultant Prof Hawkins, speaking from London, where he was attending a conference, said: "I am delighted Jean is doing so well and has responded positively to Sutent.
"I am particularly pleased she will be able to have her treatment funded on the NHS.
"This will take away a lot of anxiety for her and her family.
"I am also very grateful to the anonymous donor who has made this all possible."
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So Mrs Murphy got her drug on the NHS. I wonder what services will be cut now to pay for it! Seems those who shout loudest get their services at the expense of others.
I am pleased that Jean has been given the funding for the sutent treatment which is exactly what should have happened several months ago.Credit has to be given to everyone who helped and supported her which excludes Hazel Blears and any of the labour councillors. The only thing left to do now is to get rid of mike Burrows and get labour out because they are absolutely useless.
I disagree with the previous users comments (melissa darwin) regarding jean murphy. Jean has paid into this system all of her life so it's hardly at the expense of others is it? As for shouting the loudest???, it's more about fighting for what is rightfully her's at the end of the day we are supposed to have an NHS. Not sure what services will be cut now but one which should definately go is N.I.C.E, because that's costing the taxpayer thirty million pounds per year to keep going, maybe Tatu removal should be cut back on also. Well done Jean you were right to 'shout the loudest' and show you had the guts to stand up to the salford primary care scum.
I agree with you Abi Jenkins. This treatment should have been given to Jean in the beginning and it's disgraceful that it wasn't. A previous user is asking what services will be cut now to pay for Jeans treatment, and i have the perfect solution for this, get rid of the primary care trusts, how much money would that save? No other country has a primary care trust so why do we? It seems to me that the chief exec of the PCT Mike Burrows is intent on signing death warrents for patients. What right has he got to do that? What's happened to Jean could happen to anyone of us, and i think before people say things like Melissa Darwin has said, they should take a step back and realize what would they do had they been in Jeans position, because if it had been me i would have done exactly the same as Jean and her family have done. Well done Jean you are so brave.
Why hasn't Hazel Blears commented to the media about Jean's victory regarding the PCT U turn? i suppose it's not surprising really seen as she's done nothing about it from the start. Remember Jean you haven't got the funding for the drug at the expense of anyone, you've got it because it's your right and you sincerely deserve it just as anyone else would deserve it if they needed it. I think it's really easy to make a negative comment about you and your situation like a previous user has done if you haven't ever been in the same situation, and i wonder if these people who make such ridiculas statements would actually make them had this happened to their own mother or any family member. Jean you fought back and refused to accept the decision of the salford PCT. You have definately got my respect and you have shown that you have guts and are not afraid to open your mouth. Well done to you and your family
Declan (if that is your real name) you just don't get it do you? How can you have the "right" to demand just what you want and pretend there isn't going to be a bill to pick up. Any clinical decision costs money. If we all demand just what we want and expect to get it the NHS becomes bankrupt!
Well Melissa(if that's your real name) all i can say is you need to have a chat with Mike Burrows, after all he's the one who wasted the NHS money of a on a legal team when the case went for judicial review. Jean has every right to the treatment she needs as does everyone. It's of no concern to me the problems of the NHS bearing in mind the ridulas treatments they will and do fund. Mike Burrows salary for one, is that cost effective? £125,000 per year? i don't think so. Jean has paid into the system all of her life why shouldn't she have something back? Or would it be right for Jean and all of us to pay into the NHS and expect nothing back.
What are you talking about Melissa Darwin? Your comments are certainly not referring to Jean Murphy 'how can you have the right to demand just what you want and pretend there isn't going to be a bill to pick up'' Jean doesn't ''want'' the treatment Melissa because she'd rather not HAVE to take it, she'd prefer not to have kidney cancer in the first place. And when did she or any of her family ever say they were pretending there wouldn't be a bill to pick up? Then you say ''if we all demanded just what we want and get it'' This again makes no sense. I don't believe that anyone who needed not wanted but needed life prolonging treatment wouldn't fight to get it. The rights Jean has Melissa are her rights as a human being, she has as much right to life as me and you. Talking about Rights though, what Right does Burrows have to with hold this life prolonging treatment from Jean or from anyone as he has done, it's not even his money, it's public money and the majority of the public were saying give it to her.As for the NHS becoming bankrupt, that's easily solved they should stop funding ridiculas things. I for one am glad Jean has beat the salford pct and the majority of salford people feel the same.
I am a Tax payer and I have paid into this counctry for over thirty years,as has my family, we are still paying into this country, so if the cost of Jeans treatment is causing anyone to fear the NHS will go bankrupt as this is clearly worrying Melissa Darwin, then I will volunteer for every single penny that I have paid in, to fund Jeans treatment. The amount of money I've paid in would Fund Jean and quite a few others. I am pleased Jean has finally got her treatment and she should have been given it right from the start.
I am very very pleased that Jean will now be given the funding for her treatment from the PCT it's exactly what should have happened months ago. I used to work in a hospital and I know from personal experience that if the NHS were to go Bankrupt, it wouldn't be because they are funding treatment for people like Jean, it would be because of the amount of money they waste on pointless things like brand new computors which are not needed,because the ones they already have are in perfectly good working order, a brand new mortuary is going to be built when there's nothin wrong with the old one which isn't even that old. Money is deliberately wasted nearing the end of the financial year, so that the hospitals can qualify for even more money at the beginning of the new financial year, and this is a fact. Anyone who needs life prolonging treatment should be given it without a second thought and the months Jean has had to wait I think is appalling. She has been failed by this system and it's a disgrace. The Salford PCT have treated this woman diabolically and I am absolutely disgusted and ashamed of our so called NHS
I can't believe that anyone would begrudge Jean Murphy this treatment, and I think it's very sad that some people obviously do begrudge her. Jean Murphy has done 100% the right thing to not have given up and she's beat them. This isn't treatment Jean wants, this is treatment she needs and I think people shouldn't comment when they clearly don't know what they are talking about. Everyone that I have spoken to about Jean are all chuffed to bits that she's won. Still I suppose you always get one don't you. Well done Jean, I think your ACE.