WHAT price can you put on a life? In the case of Worcester woman Barbara Moss the answer is £21,000.
That's how much Mrs Moss spent on a cancer drug denied to her by the NHS on the grounds that it was not a cost-effective treatment.
That may be the case, but cancer sufferer Mrs Moss is convinced it has helped to save her life.
We have, of course, been here before. Remember the row nationally over the breast cancer drug Herceptin?
Mrs Moss's story is hewn from a similar rock. The drug in question, Avastin, was denied to her after she was diagnosed with bowel cancer and given just months to live.
Mrs Moss used the drug in combination with conventional treatment, including surgery. Now she wants to see Avastin available on the NHS.
We have sympathy with both sides. Clearly, anyone suffering from what may be a terminal illness wants treatment that will give him or her the best chance of survival irrespective of the cost. The NHS, however, is not a bottomless money pit and needs to ensure treatments are cost-effective and suitable for the majority of patients.
There must be a way, however, to ensure that patients who need a particular drug are able to access it without spending huge sums of their own money.
We are delighted that Mrs Moss is on the road back to full health. But we would like to see the government look again at this issue.
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