I can’t afford to see my doctor, it’s too expensive, says woman with diabetes

‘I can’t afford to go to see my doctor,’ said Carol Chippendale. ‘It’s too expensive.

‘I’m visited by nurses twice a day because I have to have injections for chronic diabetes,’ she said, ‘and they keep telling me I should see a doctor about my cataract, which probably ought to be operated on, but it’s all so expensive. I’ve got thyroid problems as well, but I daren’t go.’

She said she had no medical insurance. She had looked into joining one of the friendly societies but was not accepted because of her diabetes.

If the survey were to lead to any changes, she said, she hoped it would be to make GP visits free for OAPs.

By contrast, Ian Falla said he had been a member of the Oddfellows friendly society for 35 years without ever making a claim.

‘I’ve never really seen my doctor,’ he said.

‘In fact, I’m not sure who it is. I had my ears syringed when I was 16 years old and I’ve never needed to go to the doctor or a nurse since.’

Now 54, Mr Falla said he had visited Beau Sejour three times for his Covid vaccinations, but had otherwise required no medical attention.

He joined Oddfellows on the advice of his parents, who were members for several years before he joined.

Pamela Fallaize, 78, said she considered doctors’ fees to be expensive but she was in a position to afford them.

‘It’s a lot but if you have to go to a doctor, you have to go,’ she said. ‘I have to go every six months to get my pills and at my age, they keep me going.

‘I’m pretty well off, so I’m OK,’ she said.