27th September 2008

Despite living in a wonderful place, this has been quite a difficult year. Not only did I break my shoulder, but in January my brother died at 61 from myeloma - cancer of the bone marrow. Cancer is an emotive word, one we all fear. Our lives are the most important thing we have but treatment around the world is such a lottery. In Birmingham, where my brother lived, the ambulance drivers said to him, when he dialled 999 in agony one night, 'we're not a taxi-service, mate!' Words fail me. Here in France the cancer survival rate is one of the best in the world, a clear 20% higher than in the UK. But, before you all start moving over here, there are some things that might make you stop and think. At a hospital in Annecy in the Rhone-Alps, each patient's bed has a multimedia terminal which combines phone/tv with internet access and educational material about their own illness. You may well say that's fine. But, not only will doctors use the terminal to consult the patient's medical notes and write prescriptions, there is also an automated system whereby a robot packages the doctor's prescription and actually delivers it direct to the patient! Bring back matron, I say.
P.S. Don't miss Part 3 tomorrow of the Sunday serial 'How to buy a dream home in France with very little money'