A lung cancer patient who was recently denied potentially life-saving treatment has been given a glimmer of hope by Fife’s medical director.
As we previously reported, Tarek Ramzi (56) from Methil approached Councillor Andrew Rodger after he failed to secure funding from NHS Fife for a relatively new procedure called CyberKnife to treat a tumour on his lung.
Although local people have launched a fund-raising drive in a bid to raise the money to allow him to have the treatment privately, he is continuing to press his case with NHS Fife and also approached Mr Rodger for help, who organised a meeting with the region’s medical director Dr Brian Montgomery.
Dr Montgomery said that although he was still of the opinion that the risks of the costly treatment outweighed the benefits, he would write to the consultant who is willing to undertake Mr Ramzi’s treatment to ask him for further information that might make him consider the proposal in a more favourable light.
Mr Rodger said, “Although the scientific facts are there, there is also the human factor which I believe needs to be taken into consideration.
“Mr Ramzi has had tumours in the past and has never allowed them to beat him. First, he had a tumour in the brain but managed to convince one of the consultants to operate on it whilst others said it was too risky and that tumour was removed with success.
“He then went on to have another five tumours in his brain and was told by a consultant that if he had any more radiotherapy it could cause him damage. However, he refused to lie down to this and inquired instead about a special treatment called Gamma Knife. He later underwent the procedure which eradicated all the tumours.
“To sum up, Tarek has not just beaten cancer once but twice and that is why when he found out about the CyberKnife treatment he decided to pursue this line of treatment, too.
“After discussions Dr Montgomery has given us a small glimmer of hope saying he is prepared to write to the consultant who is willing to undertake Mr Ramzi’s treatment and ask him what further evidence or case studies he can offer that could make him change his mind and allow the treatment to go ahead.
“As Mr Ramzi’s local councillor, I hope that this evidence is produced quickly, and if the bid to secure funding from NHS Fife is not successful, I hope that members of the public can help Mr Ramzi to raise the £22,000 he needs for this procedure that will hopefully extend his life.
“If anyone wants to help fund his treatment they can contact me on 01333 353279 and I will be happy to put them in touch with Mr Ramzi.”