Case Histories
Case History No. 1
Mrs. Angela Murray had been reluctant to admit, even to herself, that her sight was failing. Her favourite morning crossword was no longer a pleasure, even with the aid of some high magnification spectacles bought at the local supermarket on a quiet Tuesday morning.
A devoted grandmother, she realised something needed to be done when she could not see clearly enough to know with any certainty which was which of her grandchildren.
A trip to her doctor rapidly confirmed that she had cataracts which had become advanced. Unwilling to accept an uncertain wait for NHS treatment, she enquired about private surgery at her local hospital and was quoted £2,777 which made her hesitate.
A friend suggested she call Medical Care Direct, and they were able to arrange surgery at a different, but nearby hospital, at a much more acceptable cost of £1,490.
Mrs. Murray now relishes the arrival of her morning newspaper and sets about the crossword with gusto, the ineffective spectacles consigned to the back of the kitchen drawer.
Case History No. 2
Gordon Campbell had always been a keen golfer and was very proud of his single figure handicap which he had worked hard to maintain.
For several months he had become increasingly concerned about a pronounced clicking noise in his right knee. This developed into a strange grating sensation and then a sharp pain, especially when driving off from the tee. So much so, that his fellow golfers became more used to seeing him in the Clubhouse than on the greens.
After a while he was forced to acknowledge that a policy of ignoring it in the hope that it would go away was not going to be effective. His GP, whilst sympathetic, suggested that it was probably general wear and tear and only to be expected at his age.
This galvanised Mr.Campbell into action, and he sought the opinion of his local physiotherapist who thought that he would benefit from an arthroscopy and made the referral.
At £4,282 the cost seemed quite steep – more than his complete set of golf clubs! Fortunately he saw an advertisement for Medical Care Direct who negotiated down the cost to £2,450 at the same hospital.
The arthroscopy took place via a small incision in Mr. Campbell’s knee, using high tech equipment. The surgeon was able to remove the tiny fragments of debris that were causing the problem. Mr.Campbell was soon back to playing a full 18 holes before relaxing at the 19th!!
Case History No. 3
Verity Mason had always been prone to varicose veins, and for many years summer skirts with bare legs were restricted to warm days in her own garden, when she could be certain of no visitors.
She had grown used to the dark traces of the veins, but was horrified when they began to bulge and also became painful, especially after a day out shopping.
At first she tried elasticated stockings which gave her temporary relief, but after a while even she had to admit that they were not the long term solution.
Her GP agreed that she would benefit from surgery, but unless they deteriorated further, she was not a priority.
After seeing a promotional article for her local private hospital, she contacted them and was quoted £2,500 for a fixed cost surgery package. Unable to afford this, she resigned herself to a long wait.
A little while later she came across Medical Care Direct, who were able to secure her treatment at an all inclusive price of £1,600. Reassured that there would be no unwelcome extras, she decided to go ahead and is now hoping for a long hot summer to show off her more shapely legs.
