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A young mum who twice battled leukaemia has been denied “life-changing” hair replacement therapy on the NHS.
Samantha Green was left with alopecia after being treated with super-strength steroids when the disease returned last year.
But the 29-year-old has three times been refused a £2,000 treatment to improve the appearance of her thin and patchy hair – despite the backing of her consultant atBirmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The Central Midlands Commissioning Support Unit, which advises on NHS spending, decided her case was not exceptional.
Administration worker Samantha, who was training to be a nurse until she was taken ill, said the verdict had crushed her remaining confidence.
“Hair makes a woman feel feminine,” she said.
“A lady who had a double mastectomy would not be refused a breast reconstruction. Yet someone who suffered alopecia due to intense chemotherapy is classed differently.
“The therapy would change my life. You never get used to wearing a wig.”
Single mum Samantha, who has an eight-year-old daughter called Madison, had thick dark hair before she first fell ill in August 2005.
She was told she would not benefit from the treatment any more than other patients who also qualified.
But she said she was struggling to cope with her alopecia on a daily basis and now hoped to set up a fundraising page to help other women in the same situation.
“I want to help other women so they don’t have to fight as hard as me just for the right to have some hair,” she said.
Dr Dan De Rosa is chairman of Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group, which spends almost £1 million-a-day on the city’s healthcare.
He said: “The decision in this case was made following detailed assessment by a panel of clinicians who took into account a wide range of factors.
“In general, we need to prioritise limited funding based on the needs of the local population and we do this as fairly and equitably as possible.”
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