 David Hitchen was diagnosed with a brain tumour |
An NHS trust which said it could not provide medication to extend the life of a brain tumour sufferer has now agreed to fund the treatment. David Hitchen, from Stocksfield in Northumberland, was relying on his friend David Boon to pay for the �1,000 a month medication, Temozolomide.
Mr Hitchen promised his friend he would be refunded when his life insurance paid out.
Northumberland Care Trust denied media pressure had triggered the u-turn.
Dr Mike Lavender from Northumberland Care Trust said: "Any difficult decision has to be open to public scrutiny and the media have a very valid point in questioning those decisions.
"In the end these decision are made on the basis of evidence."
Mr Hitchen, who was featured on BBC Look North in September, said he believed the publicity had made a real difference.
He said: "It's fantastic news. It should never have been so long but it's wonderful. It's the best news I could have had.
"In the end they caved in. They had no choice really."
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