Duff cheque for heart op
A man who desperately needed a heart operation wrote a cheque so he could go private knowing it would bounce.
Roy Thayers, 77, was warned he might die on the NHS waiting list but could not afford to pay for the £6,500 surgery.
So he wrote out a cheque knowing that by the time it bounced the operation would be over.
Roy from Hounslow, West London is repaying the debt at £25 month.
According to The Sun Roy said: "I've worked all my life and put money into the system. Why should I die for the sake of money? Life is a great thing and you fight for it. I'd have robbed a bank to save my life.
"I had been having severe heart pains and a specialist found two valves had become blocked. I risked a fatal heart attack at any time. Then I was told there was a nine-month wait. The doctor said I could have the operation done privately, but it would cost £6,500. I said, 'I'll have it'. I was in the hospital three days later. I gave them a cheque because I knew it wouldn't clear in time."
The coronary angioplasty op at Hammersmith Hospital lasted almost two hours and was a success.
Within a month the hospital sent letters demanding payment, then threatened to send bailiffs round.
Roy said: "I had to start off paying £150 a month. I only get £470 pension, so I got it reduced to £25. I'll be 99 by the time it's paid."
A hospital spokesman said: "We have done all we can to accommodate Mr Thayers' his financial situation."
Source
A man who desperately needed a heart operation wrote a cheque so he could go private knowing it would bounce.
Roy Thayers, 77, was warned he might die on the NHS waiting list but could not afford to pay for the £6,500 surgery.
So he wrote out a cheque knowing that by the time it bounced the operation would be over.
Roy from Hounslow, West London is repaying the debt at £25 month.
According to The Sun Roy said: "I've worked all my life and put money into the system. Why should I die for the sake of money? Life is a great thing and you fight for it. I'd have robbed a bank to save my life.
"I had been having severe heart pains and a specialist found two valves had become blocked. I risked a fatal heart attack at any time. Then I was told there was a nine-month wait. The doctor said I could have the operation done privately, but it would cost £6,500. I said, 'I'll have it'. I was in the hospital three days later. I gave them a cheque because I knew it wouldn't clear in time."
The coronary angioplasty op at Hammersmith Hospital lasted almost two hours and was a success.
Within a month the hospital sent letters demanding payment, then threatened to send bailiffs round.
Roy said: "I had to start off paying £150 a month. I only get £470 pension, so I got it reduced to £25. I'll be 99 by the time it's paid."
A hospital spokesman said: "We have done all we can to accommodate Mr Thayers' his financial situation."
Source
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