My letter that I’m cobbling together to write to Kent PCT
Sir
I read with some disquiet that you will be forcing all smokers to undergo a "Smoking Cessation" course before they are allowed an operation.
From the article in Kent News I quote:
From this month, patients who smoke and need planned surgery will have to complete a NHS Stop Smoking course before their operation.
My first point in objecting to this is as follows:
To me this breaches the whole Ethos of the National Health Service. Where is “Universal healthcare we were all promised?” I would ask you this question? If I refused to undergo the course, would I be refused surgery?
My second point is:
Considering that the total cost of all smoking related diseases is £2.7 Billion, (Government's own widely known figure) and smokers pay through taxes, more than £10 Billion. It would appear that smokers adequately cover the costs of their treatment. In fact it would seem that smokers are subsidizing the cost of non smoker treatment.
Point three:
If you refuse treatment to a smoker who has paid National Insurance for his entire life, but offer treatment to a non smoker who has paid no NI. Should not the smoker be entitled to a refund of part of his NI contributions?
It would seem to me that this is nothing more than social engineering which should have no place in a TAXPAYER funded PUBLIC institution.
And finally you could cut your costs by binning smoking cessation therapy which has been a disastrous failure. I can think of no enterprise with only a 1.6% success rate, (Government figures) should be tolerated in this Financial climate we find ourselves in.
With no Regards
The Filthy Engineer.
Anyone got anything I should add?
