JEREMY Hunt, Secretary of State for Health in England, has met with Usk campaigners who are calling for equal access to cancer treatments for patients in Wales.

Julie McGowan and Ann Wilkinson have been campaigning fiercely for Welsh access to the life prolonging drug Avastin for years.

The pair met with Mr Hunt at Usk Conservative Club last Wednesday (22nd April), where they voiced their concerns about the lack of support they have received from the Welsh Government.

Ann Wilkinson, who is currently battling cancer, was originally denied access to Avastin after she applied to Aneurin Bevan Health Board for funding.

Funding decisions lie entirely with individual health boards across Wales, effectively creating a postcode lottery.

In England, a cancer drugs fund has been set up for this purpose, but the same does not exist in Wales.

Jeremy Hunt expressed his concerns over the Welsh Government's decision. He said: "Aneurin Bevan, a Welshman, founded the NHS. The thought that his country cannot get equal access to treatment and the fact people have to move to England is not great for the NHS.

"I get very cross about using the NHS as a political football. Ed Miliband says only Labour know how to run the NHS but he is ignoring what is happening in a country run by Labour.

"For me the whole point of the NHS is that everyone gets good equal healthcare. In Wales they've created a divide."

The One Voice for Wales campaign, led by Julie McGowen, submitted a petition with more than 98,000 signatures to David Cameron. The petition called for the creation of a cancer drugs fund, mirroring the one in England.

A group, comprising of Julie, Ann and cancer sufferers across Wales, also went to the Senedd to hand the petition to Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services, Mark Drakeford.

The petition was however received by Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay after Mr Drakeford declined the offer to receive it.

Julie McGowen said: "If you're going to have a system you should make it the same throughout the UK.

"We never intended our campaign to become political but the politicians are doing that to themselves."

Ann Wilkinson said: "We were never political before, we didn't start out that way but the only people who would listen were the Conservatives.

"If you have cancer, don't vote Labour."

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "In Wales, we have a system in place which ensures people have access to proven and effective treatments for all conditions – not just cancer.

"Cancer patients in Wales have quicker access to treatments approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) than patients in England. The cancer drugs fund undermines the established system for the assessment of medicines for use in the NHS in both England and Wales. It has spent millions of pounds on non-approved medicines, which deliver little or no benefit for patients.

"The chair of the cancer drugs fund has admitted it provides funding for drugs which have 'no impact on survival' and 'uncertainty as to whether quality of life is improved or not.' NHS England recently announced its cuts to the cancer drugs fund, which shows the policy is unravelling.

"We have no plans to introduce a cancer drugs fund in Wales."