Kidney transplant patient voices concern over privatisation
DEBBIE BRACEY received the ultimate gift of life from her brother, Colin Watterson, two years ago when he gave her a kidney.
Now leading a healthy and normal life, the 45-year-old, who lives in Childwall, says she has some concerns about the privatisation of the renal dialysis service.
Mrs Bracey, who received treatment at the Royal Liverpool Hospital for 12 months after her kidneys failed, said much of the service was co-ordinated by drugs companies Baxters and Unicare.
"I always knew that I could rely on the equipment and solutions being delivered on time.
"I continued to work, but they would deliver it all to my home when I was not there.
"I went on holiday to Cyprus and they arranged for everything to be delivered to my hotel. When I went away for the weekend, I knew that, if I had any problems, I could go to a nearby NHS hospital.
"I would be concerned about that if everything was privatised. Would the service still be available in different parts of the country, let alone different parts of the world?"
Mrs Bracey also said the word privatisation evoked fears of having to pay and she said she was relieved that the NHS have stressed services will still be free.
She added: "That would be a major concern. I know my treatment cost about £2,000 a week and that would have been unmanageable.
"I have nothing against private companies running services. When I was having treatment, the service was largely run by two companies and they were brilliant."
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