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 05 July 2008 04:05 BST

Patients charged for vital liver cancer vaccine

Monday, 19 May 2008 00:01
NHS patients are being charged up to £160 for a vital cancer vaccination

Health In Focus 

NHS patients are being charged up to £160 for a vaccine that protects against liver cancer, a new report claims.

The hepatitis B vaccination is one of only two injections available in the UK that can protect against the cancer.

The survey published by the British Liver Trust today, to coincide with World Hepatitis Day, claims that 60 per cent of all GP surgeries questioned admitted to charging patients for the vaccination.

And 19 per cent of the surgeries claimed they charged over £100.

Hepatitis B causes inflammation of the liver and can lead to life-threatening damage including cancer.

Alison Rogers, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: "This key vaccine is being treated as an optional extra by GPs, priced as a luxury only some patients can afford. This is despite the fact clinical guidelines issued by the government state that this is essential protection.

"The cost of this approach is not just the charge for the jabs, but the countless lives that are being lost from hepatitis B and liver cancer," she added.

"The NHS needs to get to grips with the rising numbers of people whose health is being put needlessly at risk."

The UK is one of the few countries in Europe not to have implemented the universal vaccination policy recommended by the World Health Organisation.

The Department of Health was unavailable for comment on the survey's findings. End of story


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