"Five-year-old Ashya King was removed from hospital, where he was being treated for a brain tumour, by his parents. At the time he could not swallow and had to be fed through his nose."
"Sister Mandy Frisby, who cared for him, told BBC South: "The dangers to Ashya would be that the feed going into his stomach could go into his lungs and that could have very serious consequences… He could die…. It just seemed… so unsafe, this child was so vulnerable, and they were so caring and I just couldn’t put the two together." [Here`s how to put it together. The parents had decided that Ashya was too weak to withstand the NHS treatment on offer. They wasted no time and transported their son safely to Europe for alternative treatment.]
"Another member of the nursing staff, Matron Kate Pye, said: "Through the use of media, through YouTube, they were showing a child who was being fed but nobody knew that they didn’t know how to feed him… We were really glad he was safe, but actually, fundamentally, they put him at huge risk. And if you asked me again, ‘Would I phone the police?’ the answer would be yes every time. Because if something had happened to that little boy in that car, then we would have been accountable for that."...[No it was the parents` decision.]
"The Kings took the decision to take Ashya to Prague to seek proton therapy. His doctors had recommended a course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. But the Kings were concerned that was a danger to their son and wanted to try a different treatment abroad. The NHS trust involved had agreed to help with this, but the Kings would have to pay for it privately."
"After Ashya had left the UK and gone to Prague, in an unprecedented move, the NHS agreed to pay for his proton therapy, against the advice of its own independent experts. The clinicians at Southampton say that decision has left doctors across the country in a difficult position."
"Dr Peter Wilson said: "It does put clinicians in an impossible position because we now have to try to explain to families why one child... is getting a form of treatment, why they can’t and they’ve got the same tumour… And that’s deeply unfair when the NHS is supposed to be about equal healthcare for all." [Should Ashya have been sacrificed for the sake of equality? What parent could go along with that?]
"Paediatric Oncology Consultant Dr Ramya Ramanujachar said: "I don’t think the parents can look after their own child with a brain tumour and be not only the carers but also the professionals directing, managing and dictating their child’s treatment." [The Kings had done their research and were aware of an alternative treatment. Proton Therapy targets the tumour but avoids damage to other vital organs. Dr Ramanujachar overstates his case.]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2015/ashya-king
Ashya – The Untold Story is available nationally on BBC iPlayer.
Judgement by the Honourable Mr Justice Baker
"The course of treatment proposed by Mr and Mrs King is entirely reasonable. Ashya has a serious medical condition. Any parents in the position of Mr and Mrs King would do whatever they could to explore all options. Some parents would follow the advice of the local doctors to use conventional radiotherapy, others would prefer the relatively untested option of proton therapy (assuming the funds can be made available to meet the cost of transport and treatment) in the hope that the toxic effects of radiation will be reduced. Both courses are reasonable and it is the parents who bear the heavy responsibility of making the decision. It is no business of this court, or any other public authority, to interfere with their decision." https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/judgment-ashya-king-08092014.pdf
The Kings were not acting as Ashya's carers and professionals as stated by Dr Ramya Ramanujachar. They procured the services of professionals as required and in no way attempted to administer the therapy themselves. They were acting as carers and guardians. Another term for this would be "parents".
ReplyDeleteThis is the most worrying aspect of this case and of recent developments in Scotland (a system demanding parental compliance with medical advice), the state appears to be demanding ultimate parental authority. The Kings decision to exercise that authority themselves was the reason for the crushing decent of state power.
As far as the doctors and nurses on the BBC video, how dare they do what they did, how dare they. They should be ashamed; sadly they cannot manage even that.