health and ecology
Discworld author criticises NHS priorities
Discworld author Terry Pratchett has criticised a decision to limit the drug Aricept through the NHS to people in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease, saying that the decision not to give it to early stage sufferers, but to provide free treatment for obesity and sexual impotence, indicates the NHS “priorities are not right”. He thinks this is in part due to the disease affecting old people who are “softer targets”.
tags: AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, anti-depressants, cancer, Discworld, funding, HIV, mental health, NHS, obesity, smoking, Terry PratchettCourse fees, asylum seekers, and the disabled on benefits
I was astonished this week when I discovered that, as a disabled person not in receipt of Disability Living Allowance—I’m still in the process of appealing the decision not to award that to me—I am not entitled to any discount on evening and weekend part-time course fees at my local college. But imagine my surprise to discover that if I were an asylum seeker—note, not a person who has successfully won the right to stay here, but someone who is waiting to find out—I could do the courses for free. How is that fair? But take note: this is not a blog entry attacking asylum seekers. No way. Read on…
tags: asylum seekers, bigotry, course fees, education, gay, incapacity benefit, inequality, lesbian, parapsychology, prejudice, unemployment benefit
