A cash-strapped hospital has unveiled plans to take in cats and dogs in order to alleviate its burgeoning deficit. Ipswich Hospital in Suffolk is planning to open up its state-of-the-art radiotherapy department to vets at weekends to treat family pets with cancer as a means of offsetting its costs.
Managers said there would be no risks to patients but the measure was described last night as a 'disaster waiting to happen' and a symptom of 'financial mismanagement' that could be potentially dangerous to patients.
The proposal, thought to be the first of its kind in the country, is part of the hospital's financial recovery plan drawn up to help pay debts of more than £24m.
Bosses have estimated it could earn the hospital around £50,000 a year - enough to pay two nurses' wages. Jan Rosewell, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said the idea was just one of 700 put forward by radiotherapy staff to solve the cash crisis.
No comments:
Post a Comment