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Aysha King

H

hors limite

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Am I alone in finding the coverage of this case disproportionate. It was the lead story on BBC1's 6pm news yesterday with reporters in Madrid, Malaga and I think Southampton and on it went again in this am's Today programme.
Don't get me wrong I share the hope that the young boy along with every other seriously ill child receives the most effective treatment available and which offers the greatest opportunity for a full recovery.
What I do get fed up about is the media's appetite for the dreaded "human interest" story and their inability to point out how stupid it was to drag this poor child the thick end of 2000km to Malaga depriving him of the treatment he needed all in pursuit of what seems to be a publicity stunt.
The following extract from the Indy's editorial makes some sensible points concerning the child's treatment:

Fundamentally, patient choice has to operate within a framework which does not marginalise medical experts from decisions about the appropriateness of treatments. In the internet age, we have information about illnesses and diseases at our fingertips. But we do not become specialists by consulting the blogospere. A patient’s perceived knowledge of the facts should not usually override the experience of doctors. And if that principle is to be maintained, there will be occasions when relevant agencies of the state need the powers to protect vulnerable patients from attempts by relatives to undermine the judgement of professionals.
 
So you think they took him to a country where they are willing to use treatments that are not available in Southampton as a publicity stunt !!!
 
Liverpoolphil said:
So you think they took him to a country where they are willing to use treatments that are not available in Southampton as a publicity stunt !!!
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They took him to Spain though not to where the treatment is available. The missus said they were going over there to try sell a property to raise funds for treatment, why take a terminally ill child with you if that is indeed the case? Correct option is mother stays behind with child, father goes off to sort out the business or vise versa.
Personally I agree with the OP it was a well thought out publicity stunt which to be honest I'm sick to the back teeth off (publicity stunts in general).
 
Beezerk said:
They took him to Spain though not to where the treatment is available. The missus said they were going over there to try sell a property to raise funds for treatment, why take a terminally ill child with you if that is indeed the case? Correct option is mother stays behind with child, father goes off to sort out the business or vise versa.
Personally I agree with the OP it was a well thought out publicity stunt which to be honest I'm sick to the back teeth off (publicity stunts in general).
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Since we do not know the full facts (all we know is what the media decide to report) let me paint a slightly different picture.

The doctors treating your child state categorically that they will not consider a treatment for your child which, though it is still not common enough to be regarded as a "sure fire" solution, is one that apparently offers the most obvious next approach (to you as parent). Instead they suggest that a more common treatment (which can be more dangerous due to side effects) is what must be tried first. What would a parent's reaction be if they were "well informed" about treatment options and were then dismissed as being "cranks" by the doctors in charge when suggesting another option.

IMHO, there is more likelihood of doctors being dismmissive of relatives wishes, especially when they have become accustomed to having patients accept what they say and "go along" with treatments, than of parents wishing their child ill or suffering. There should be significantly more weight given to what relatives want, particularly parents, than to what doctors say where there are newer treatment options available.
In this boy's case, is it not likely that the doctors' treatment plan, once started, would have negated the opportunity to try the parents' option? If so, then the parents' action to remove their son seems to have been the only thing they could do.

Publicity stunt? I don't think so! The parents just happen to be savvy enough to get their side of the story out to counter the one-sided reporting upto then. The fact that there are now reports of politcal pressure being applied to doctors and their subsequent "change of mind" about PBT for the little boy, is another reason for the continued reporting, over and above the need to show how far the system is weighted in favour of doctors and it's consequences. IMHO doctors do not know everything. They are human and fallible, and they need to accept that too.

The treatment the little boy now receives and also the outcome of this "human interest" story would be of "educational" benefit to public... Maybe next time YOU will question your doctor's opinion on some serious ailment!
:mmm:
 
LIG said:
Since we do not know the full facts (all we know is what the media decide to report) let me paint a slightly different picture.

The doctors treating your child state categorically that they will not consider a treatment for your child which, though it is still not common enough to be regarded as a "sure fire" solution, is one that apparently offers the most obvious next approach (to you as parent). Instead they suggest that a more common treatment (which can be more dangerous due to side effects) is what must be tried first. What would a parent's reaction be if they were "well informed" about treatment options and were then dismissed as being "cranks" by the doctors in charge when suggesting another option.

IMHO, there is more likelihood of doctors being dismmissive of relatives wishes, especially when they have become accustomed to having patients accept what they say and "go along" with treatments, than of parents wishing their child ill or suffering. There should be significantly more weight given to what relatives want, particularly parents, than to what doctors say where there are newer treatment options available.
In this boy's case, is it not likely that the doctors' treatment plan, once started, would have negated the opportunity to try the parents' option? If so, then the parents' action to remove their son seems to have been the only thing they could do.

Publicity stunt? I don't think so! The parents just happen to be savvy enough to get their side of the story out to counter the one-sided reporting upto then. The fact that there are now reports of politcal pressure being applied to doctors and their subsequent "change of mind" about PBT for the little boy, is another reason for the continued reporting, over and above the need to show how far the system is weighted in favour of doctors and it's consequences. IMHO doctors do not know everything. They are human and fallible, and they need to accept that too.

The treatment the little boy now receives and also the outcome of this "human interest" story would be of "educational" benefit to public... Maybe next time YOU will question your doctor's opinion on some serious ailment!
:mmm:
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Your painting has been painted but again without all the facts known so we can argue all day long and both be wrong.
I believe their decision to take the child away from the hospital without any confirmation of treatment at the Czech clinic to be the wrong one, the proton treatment clinic only decided to allow the child to be admitted yesterday.
Regarding questioning a doctors opinion, don't even go there mate. I know exactly what the family are going through albeit it under different circumstances.
 
Beezerk said:
Your painting has been painted but again without all the facts known so we can argue all day long and both be wrong.
I believe their decision to take the child away from the hospital without any confirmation of treatment at the Czech clinic to be the wrong one, the proton treatment clinic only decided to allow the child to be admitted yesterday.
Regarding questioning a doctors opinion, don't even go there mate. I know exactly what the family are going through albeit it under different circumstances.
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I agree that the decision to take away the child may or may not have been the wrong one - obviously parents will always do what they believe is best for their own child

But i dont believe they did it as a publicity stunt - thats a very cyncial view and indeed quite nasty.
 
Liverpoolphil said:
I agree that the decision to take away the child may or may not have been the wrong one - obviously parents will always do what they believe is best for their own child

But i dont believe they did it as a publicity stunt - thats a very cyncial view and indeed quite nasty.
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To my mind dragging a critically ill child from his hospital bed and 2000km across a scorching France and Spain to Malaga is cynical and nasty. If they had been setting off to take the child to the clinic in Prague where they have been wanting to have him treated their actions might have elicited some understanding.I stand by my suggestion that their motive was to seek publicity and their appetite for press conferences hasn't done much to discredit that view.
 
Their appetite for press conferences ?!?

Yep I'm speechless

Maybe I prefer to give the parents the benefit of the doubt that their one sole purpose was to get the very best possible care for their child - they aren't z list celebs looking to gain popularity or a name in the media

It's more sad that people decide to question the motives of the parents without being in their situation

We can all judge whether it was right or wrong to take the child to Spain and I'm sure we would all do something different but to suggest its for publicity !! One step too far
 
Liverpoolphil said:
We can all judge whether it was right or wrong to take the child to Spain and I'm sure we would all do something different but to suggest its for publicity !! One step too far
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So why would you take a terminally ill child on a road trip to Spain rather than to the country where treatment is potentially going to take place?
Not arguing just being devils advocate.
 
The most interesting aspect to this is how they could be arrested using the European Arrest Warrant. An outrageous piece of legislation and a great example of how we are giving away powers to the EU.

Naturally, any mention of this draconian law is missing completely from any BBC report on this case.
 
Snelly said:
The most interesting aspect to this is how they could be arrested using the European Arrest Warrant. An outrageous piece of legislation and a great example of how we are giving away powers to the EU.

Naturally, any mention of this draconian law is missing completely from any BBC report on this case.
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I agree. UKIP are the only political party saying they will repeal that act.
 
It did seem to be an over the top reaction from the Police etc.
 
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