A mom of a nine-year-old boy within the UK with a extreme type of epilepsy that used to result in 150 seizures every week, mentioned she is frightened about her little one’s well being after entry to life-saving medical hashish from the Netherlands was minimize due to Brexit.
Alfie Dingley is one amongst round 40 severely epileptic youngsters who face menace to their life in absence of hashish remedy which is able to not be accessible to them.
The Division of Well being and Social Care (DHSC) mentioned in a letter dated 15 December: “Shelling out completed hashish oil (Bedrocan merchandise) within the Netherlands towards prescriptions from UK prescribers is not an choice from 1 January 2021”.
Hannah Deacon, the mom of nine-year-old Alfie, instructed the Guardian she is livid over the 2 weeks’ discover given by the DHSC and the termination of provide is “terrifying”.
“They [the DHSC] mentioned they perceive our concern however they will’t do something. Effectively, let me inform them, it isn’t regarding, it’s terrifying,” she mentioned.
In 2017, Ms Deacon efficiently campaigned, forcing the federal government to carry a change within the regulation to permit medical hashish merchandise to be prescribed within the UK in a bid to save lots of her son’s life.
The life-altering drug has seen her son seizure-free after years of getting 150 seizures every week.
Mr Deacon rushed to safe a few months’ value inventory of medication following the announcement, however says “that’s not lengthy”.
She mentioned she is “actually offended” concerning the lack of time they got and “lack of empathy” by the authorities as asking to swap the drugs with another product is “is grossly unacceptable”.
“It’s very very harmful and I’m actually frightened about what will occur,” she mentioned.
The campaigners have additionally raised concern over the termination of medical hashish provide from the Netherlands to the UK, calling it a “matter of life and demise” for the affected youngsters.
Neurologist Mike Barnes instructed the Guardian that the scenario isn’t any exaggeration and one among two youngsters of these on the drug “will die” if the remedy is minimize.
A Division of Well being and Social Care spokesperson mentioned: “We sympathise with sufferers coping with difficult circumstances and there’s a vary of different cannabis-based medicines accessible to UK sufferers.”