Seriously ill Finley a 'treasure beyond price'

Wednesday, 11 October 2017 10:29

Government 'u-turn' praised amid scrutiny

A government u-turn to provide a life-enhancing drug for a seriously ill boy has been praised.

Eight-year-old Finley Hesketh has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - a muscle-wasting disease which has no known cure.

His family campaigned successfully for the health department to fund the £180,000-a-year treatment Translarna after initially being refused the drug.

The move to provide the drug came under scrutiny this week, at a committee investigating the Department of Health and Social Care's £11 million overspend.

Minister Kate Beecroft explained she made the decision to reverse the department's stance and provide Translana, without the advice of a board of clinicians.

Mrs Beecroft told the committee that denying Finley treatment would've made the Island appear 'miserly'.

Mum Kirstie describes her son as a 'treasure beyond price':