Newhaven Grandparent, 78, has sex change on the NHS

[Commander]

For £13,500

Newhaven grandparent, 78, set to become oldest sex change patient From The Argus)

This annoys me. 78 Years old, turns 79 next week.

Yet the NHS wont pay for my Stepdad to have the physiotherapy that could enable him to walk again after an accident he had.

How can that be fair?

How can someone have got to 78 years old before deciding to do this? She / He might only live a couple more years. Surely that money could be better spent elsewhere?

 

[User removed 4]

For £13,500

Newhaven grandparent, 78, set to become oldest sex change patient From The Argus)

This annoys me. 78 Years old, turns 79 next week.

Yet the NHS wont pay for my Stepdad to have the physiotherapy that could enable him to walk again after an accident he had.

How can that be fair?

How can someone have got to 78 years old before deciding to do this? She / He might only live a couple more years. Surely that money could be better spent elsewhere?

Yep.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Crazy world...

 

[Falkor]

f***ing hell no way what a complete waste

 

[public school boy]

Disgraceful!!! Why should the tax payer have to foot the bill? If the creature wants a sex change it should pay for it.

 

[The Large One]

Wouldn't.

 

[Poyetry In Motion]

From the NHS file marked " More money than sense "

 

[Aadam]

For £13,500

Newhaven grandparent, 78, set to become oldest sex change patient From The Argus)

This annoys me. 78 Years old, turns 79 next week.

Yet the NHS wont pay for my Stepdad to have the physiotherapy that could enable him to walk again after an accident he had.

How can that be fair?

How can someone have got to 78 years old before deciding to do this? She / He might only live a couple more years. Surely that money could be better spent elsewhere?

That's disgraceful. Yet you know that should you oppose this, you'll have the lefties going on about human rights and all that bullshit. The NHS shouldn't be used for things like this, in my opinion. I thought, and I might not have the facts right here, that there comes a point where the NHS deny treatment based on your age, or is this more for transplants and the like, rather giving them to younger people?

Either way, let's not detract from the fact that this, in comparison to your stepdad -- on the face of it -- is shocking.

 

[Insel affe]

This is why the Americans think we are mad having a NHS.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Completely wrong use of public money! (As is the PM ordering a Met Police review of the case of Madelaine McCann at a cost of £2,000,000)

 

[Seagull27]

Have a look at the comments section, WONDERFUL binfest going on.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Because of their age I would have thought the treatment already given was sufficient and the cost of the cut and tuck operation should not be allowed on the NHS.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

It's a contentious topic at the best of times, but SEVENTY EIGHT!

Christ almighty....

 

[Lady Gull]

Why has it taken 78 years for this person to decide to change sex?

 

[Hillian1]

Just one more reason to avoid Newhaven.

 

[Biscuit]

For £13,500

Newhaven grandparent, 78, set to become oldest sex change patient From The Argus)

This annoys me. 78 Years old, turns 79 next week.

Yet the NHS wont pay for my Stepdad to have the physiotherapy that could enable him to walk again after an accident he had.

How can that be fair?

How can someone have got to 78 years old before deciding to do this? She / He might only live a couple more years. Surely that money could be better spent elsewhere?

That's disgraceful. Yet you know that should you oppose this, you'll have the lefties going on about human rights and all that bullshit. The NHS shouldn't be used for things like this, in my opinion. I thought, and I might not have the facts right here, that there comes a point where the NHS deny treatment based on your age, or is this more for transplants and the like, rather giving them to younger people?

Either way, let's not detract from the fact that this, in comparison to your stepdad -- on the face of it -- is shocking.

Why has it taken 78 years for this person to decide to change sex?

This decision won't have been taken lightly. The grandparent in question will have had to live as a member of the opposite sex for several years while undergoing lots of psychoevalution from a great deal of doctors. The quality of life they have been awarded shouldn't be underestimated as they would have most probably lived in a body they hated for a great deal of years, probably decades. That's not something many of us can relate too, but it is real.

I'm not saying that it isn't unfair that your stepdad isn't getting his physio, only that the transgendered community get a lot of stick for operations that are often deemed frivolous when in reality they're not. This certainly won't have been a case of a 78 year old deciding 'I fancy changing sex' a couple of weeks ago and the NHS paying for it. They've probably endured decades of isolation, bullying and depression. I worked on 'My Transsexual Summer' for Channel Four and seeing the daily abuse that many transgendered people go through quite sickening. I'm not saying that the NHS always get it right, but they have to make some very difficult decisions about quality of life. If they've decided to fund this then the person must be a very special case, as on the whole, the NHS are extremely careful about what cases they allow to be done, the vast majority - as I understand it - have to go private.

 

[catfish]

I know someone who had to pay the full cost of his sex change op. It left him without a sausage.

 

[Waynflete]

There are at least two reasons why you'd disagree with this operation:

1. You disagree with gender reassignment operations on the NHS full-stop.
2. You disagree with it being given to someone aged 78.

On the first one, I think it's pretty well established that some people have gender identity issues that have a serious impact on their mental health and that, ultimately, can be significantly improved through surgery. I don't have a problem with someone being treated on the NHS for this any more than I have a problem with people being treated for depression on the NHS.

On the second one, it's really tough. The NHS makes choices all the time about who is most suitable for an organ transplant, for example, and they may take age into account. But this woman may live another 20 years, and if having the surgery is going to make a big impact for her mental wellbeing for that time then the £13,500 would be worth it. Whoever made the decision in this case clearly thought it was worth it too.

 

[Questions]

Its a costly procedure having a sex change. I think its because they have to shrink his brain and widen his mouth.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

This decision won't have been taken lightly. The grandparent in question will have had to live as a member of the opposite sex for several years while undergoing lots of psychoevalution from a great deal of doctors. The quality of life they have been awarded shouldn't be underestimated as they would have most probably lived in a body they hated for a great deal of years, probably decades. That's not something many of us can relate too, but it is real.

I'm not saying that it isn't unfair that your stepdad isn't getting his physio, only that the transgendered community get a lot of stick for operations that are often deemed frivolous when in reality they're not. This certainly won't have been a case of a 78 year old deciding 'I fancy changing sex' a couple of weeks ago and the NHS paying for it. They've probably endured decades of isolation, bullying and depression. I worked on 'My Transsexual Summer' for Channel Four and seeing the daily abuse that many transgendered people go through quite sickening. I'm not saying that the NHS always get it right, but they have to make some very difficult decisions about quality of life. If they've decided to fund this then the person must be a very special case, as on the whole, the NHS are extremely careful about what cases they allow to be done, the vast majority - as I understand it - have to go private.

Well put imo. The NHS doesn't do cosmetic surgery unless it's related to a medical condition - eg female breast reconstruction after a mastectomy.

Because of their age I would have thought the treatment already given was sufficient and the cost of the cut and tuck operation should not be allowed on the NHS.

I'm 58 and the NHS "bill" for my oncology (cancer) treatment; including drugs, hospitalisations, community support, associated surgery etc, etc, etc over the last six and a bit years currently stands at around £550k, maybe a bit more. I've a quarterly CT scan next week (these go at about £500) and the probable outcome is yet more chemotherapy costing £18k just for the drugs. The cancer's non-curable so what's an informed age/cost/benefit opinion on this? £13,500 (maybe) vs £550,000 and rising (definite) - interesting eh?