Completed petition Robotic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy must be made available to men in Wales now
Robotic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy is the 21st Century Gold standard. Wales as a nation must be at the forefront in offering this standard. We, the undersigned, are appalled by the fact that men in Wales with prostate cancer cannot be offered robotic surgery in Wales, yet in England ALL men have this choice with at least 40 locations offering this treatment and with men from Wales having to pay thousands of pounds to access this capability in these English NHS facilities (typically between £13-15,000). Clearly, many men in Wales cannot afford this. We call on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government together with the National Health Service of Wales to resolve this totally unfair predicament and serious lack of essential resource within our NHS in Wales without delay. It is vital that this technology, this 21st Century Gold Standard is offered to men in Wales. It simply cannot be right that such technology is available elsewhere and that men from Wales have to pay to avail themselves of it in an NHS facility in England.
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This petition meets the WAG health strategy Changing for the Better in the criteria of Patient Safety and Improving Technology. Minimally invasive surgery of this nature has many advantages for patients over and above open surgical methods, including faster recovery, minimising post operative pain, minimising blood loss and improving the cosmetic result with smaller incisions. More importantly in prostate cancer this surgery offers improved outcomes with regard to urinary continence, erectile dysfunction and potential depression. This has a direct impact on family and employment relationships and must be considered when planning optimal care.The use of robot assisted laparoscopic technology is not limited to prostate cancers. It also has the potential to make a significant impact in patients with bowel, rectal and gynaecological cancers as well as non-malignant conditions. In addition it has the potential to have utility in other specialities such as cardiac and paediatric surgery.
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