It's not fair to lavish billions on foreign aid when the NHS won't fund my cancer drugs: Gran's tearful attack on PM during radio phone-in



The treatment she needs to beat non-Hodgkin lymphoma is available in Europe but not in her area, she said



The 68-year-old used the name Anna because some members of her family don't even know she's ill

She accused the PM of sending money abroad that should be staying in Britain

'We have a moral obligation to help people in other countries even when times are tough,' he replied in tense LBC interview



Uncomfortable: David Cameron, pictured, was questioned on live radio by a cancer-sufferer who asked him to justify why so much money was going on foreign aid

A cancer sufferer yesterday launched a scathing attack on David Cameron for increasing Britain’s foreign aid bill while the NHS fails to fund cancer treatment she desperately needs.

The 68-year-old grandmother took the Prime Minister to task over his decision to send £12billion abroad in foreign aid rather than spending it on helping people at home.

The woman, who suffers from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, used the name Anna during a radio phone-in and refused to give her real name because some of her family do not know she is ill.

She said her chemotherapy had beaten back the cancer, but she proved to be dangerously allergic to the rituximab antibody drug given to her to counter side effects of the treatment.

Instead, she needs ofatumumab but said the NHS refuses to fund it.



Buying a two-year course of the drug would cost £250,000, completely out of her reach, she said, so her doctors are currently applying to charities in a desperate bid to raise the funds.

Anna had been a full-time carer for her retired engineer husband, but they are so ill he has been forced to go into a care home.



She is living alone at her home in Finchley, north London, on only £68 per week.

The mother of three tearfully challenged Mr Cameron to justify why so much money was going on foreign aid.

‘No foreign aid is being cut, and I’m a cancer victim or patient waiting for treatment that’s not on the National Health, and my local authority, health authority is begging charities for my treatment,’ she said.

Scroll down to listen to the interview



‘Now, I had my last chemotherapy in May – and it’s a horrible feeling, waking every morning, waiting for £250,000 when they’re giving billions away abroad.

'It’s not fair. I need some funding now.’ The Government has pledged to increase foreign aid to 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product by 2013. But the decision to increase aid spending by 34 per cent to £12billion over four years at a time of austerity at home has proved massively controversial with both the public and many Tory MPs.

DENIED CARE BY THE UK'S POSTCODE LOTTERY

There are huge discrepancies in the quality of care that patients across the UK receive stemming simply from where they live. Among the reasons for this are a lack of funding for some NHS Trusts, lack of qualified medical staff or even certain drugs not made available in certain areas For example, patients with suspected cancer in parts of England are 60 times more likely to be sent for scans than those living elsewhere, according to a study by the National Cancer Intelligence Network in July. Patients with diseases that are relatively simple to control such as diabetes, arthritis and eye conditions often miss out on the medication they need simply because there is a lack of local resources. Previous findings suggested a stark contrast in the rate of the prescribing anti-dementia drugs, with patients in some parts of the country prescribed 25 times as many treatments and tablets to help 'temporarily improve or stabilise symptoms' than in Kent. One possible reason for such disparities is a lack of awareness on the part of some some local GPs have in spotting Alzheimer's early. In December Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, told GPs that 'the degree of variation is considerable, and unexplained by simple differences in population'.



India is still receiving nearly £300million from British taxpayers in aid, for example, despite the country being rich enough to launch its own space programme.

Mr Cameron, appearing on LBC, said he would look at her case.



But he added: ‘We made a promise as a country to meet pledges on aid and we’re keeping those promises, and I think breaking your promises to the poorest people in the world would not be the right thing to do.

‘The second thing: as I say, I think we do have a moral obligation to help the poorest in the world... even when there are difficult times for us.

‘We have not cut spending to the NHS we have increased it.



'We have the cancer drugs fund and we are looking to extend that.’

Later, Anna told the Mail she was ‘consumed with grief’ because she could not care for her husband, while her grandchildren were frightened of her wig.

She said: ‘I understand what he is saying, but I would say to him if your family is starving you wouldn’t go and feed your neighbours.



'He should be looking after people here.’



She added: ‘The doctors have told me I’m a prime candidate for successful treatment.’

Health officials yesterday insisted that the Cancer Drugs Fund should be able to cover the type of treatment that Anna needs as the drug ofatumumab, also known as Arzerra, is on the approved list for the London region.

This means it should be approved if a cancer specialist applies on behalf of a patient.

A spokesman for NHS North Central London said last night that it was investigating the case.



‘Our initial investigations have shown us that we have not had any contact from her,’ he said.

HOW WE GIVE AID TO A COUNTRY WITH MORE BILLIONAIRES THAN US

Space programme: India's maiden lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 takes off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in 2008 Last year it was announced Britain would give more than £1billion in aid to India over the next four years, even though it has almost three times as many billionaires as we do. Ministers claimed the decision to hand around £280million a year in taxpayers’ cash to one of the world’s biggest economies would re-energise the relationship with the former colony.

However, India is a nuclear power, has its own space programme and is rich enough to donate money to poor African nations each yea r. India also: has 69 dollar billionaires, compared to Britain's 29;

spends £23billion on its military;

plans a first manned space mission by 2016 - at a cost of £1.7billion; and



in terms of GDP, has the 11th largest global economy. While the Coalition axed aid to economic powerhouse economies such as Russia and China, Department for International Development sources claim India is ‘different’.

Despite its immense poverty, India is home to some of the richest people on earth. The wealthiest Indian is Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries and the fourth richest man in the world.

But perhaps the best known billionaire in India is Vijay Mallya, the eccentric 55-year-old owner of the United Breweries Group that produces Kingfisher beer and is behind Kingfisher Airlines.

He also owns a Formula One team, and one of the world’s biggest private yachts - the 312ft Indian Empress.

Sceptics believe much of Britain’s aid is as much about strengthening British trade ties as helping the poor.

In a visit last year, David Cameron lobbied hard on behalf of British business. The trip led to a £686million aircraft deal for defence contractor BAE Systems and engine makers Rolls-Royce.



