THE county's primary care trust has hit back at accusations that a third of rare cancer patients are being left to die in a "bizarre and demeaning" postcode lottery.
A national survey published this week found that North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) had the highest rates in the region for refusing drugs to sufferers of rare cancers.
The PCT has defended its actions, saying it invests in cancer s
ervices funding at a level higher than the national average and has lower mortality levels as a result.
It says it relies on the expert advice of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) and cannot afford to routinely fund specialist treatments which are not yet fully proven.
Medical director Dr David Geddes said: "Health service funding is limited. We have a duty to prioritise our resources against the overall health needs of the population we serve and the PCT has a responsibility to consider the evidence base for the clinical and cost effectiveness of all health care treatments.
"Whilst the PCT invests significantly in funding for specialist treatments; the demand on this budget is extremely high and the PCT does not, therefore, routinely fund treatments that are as yet to be fully evaluated."
The survey from the Rarer Cancers Forum analysed information from 62 PCTs who responded to a Freedom of Information request.
They found that North Yorkshire and York PCT had refused 35 per cent of applications for life saving drugs in the last 20 months, compared to just 17 per cent in Leeds and none in Wakefield.
Chief executive Penny Wilson-Webb said nationally 1,300 cancer patients were refused treatment, and 5,000 patients were forced to "plead with their lives" as they faced a decision-making panel.
The study found that decisions were taken in a different way from one PCT to the next, resulting in a "striking postcode lottery" based on where the patient lived.
But North Yorkshire and York PCT says that both its investment in cancer services and the result of treatment is better than the national average.
Dr Geddes said: "Although we already invest more than the national average in cancer services, we recognise that there is always more that can be done to improve cancer services.
"We are pleased however that in terms of the outcome of cancer care, as measured by mortality rates, North Yorkshire and York PCT continues to perform significantly better than the average for the region and for England as a whole."
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The full article contains 439 words and appears in Harrogate Advertiser newspaper.
