Does society regard us as expendable?

Professor John Crown is rightly concerned that there could be cutbacks in the provision of cancer-treating drugs (Feb 11).

Before any such step is taken serious consideration should be given to the likely outcome, which would be an increase in cancer, the treatment of which would itself, of course, be enormously expensive.

It all comes down to the question of how much society is prepared to spend to save a life.

Over recent decades a figure in the region of €1m per life to be saved has come to be used by a number of authorities, for instance in road safety.

Such a figure determines whether, for example, it is cost-effective to install barriers on dual carriageways.

The same approach is used in the optimisation of radiation protection measures.

Those of us who are currently being kept going by admittedly costly medication would like to know whether society regards us as expendable.

Dr David Sowby

Knocksinna Crescent

Dublin 18