DISGRACEFUL figures revealed today show the number of East Lancashire patients having operations cancelled at the last minute has almost doubled.

Shocking statistics obtained by the Labour Party show a 95 per cent rise, with 121 cancellations in the first three months of this year.

Not surprisingly, Labour is claiming bed cuts and staff shortages have turned the National Health Service into more of a national lottery.

On the other side, Richard Gildert, nursing boss at the Blackburn NHS Trust, glibly claims the figures were "seasonal" and priority had to be given to emergencies during the atrocious weather.

What happened to forward planning?

Obviously, the weather can be expected to worsen in winter.

Obviously, there are going to be more emergencies caused by road accidents, and more resulting from weather conditions aggravating chronic complaints.

It all boils down to hospitals being run with a minimum of money and flexibility. So when there is an emergency, something has to give.

Faced with a life or death choice, a routine operation is cancelled while surgeons battle to save the life of an accident victim.

No-one could argue with such priorities.

But what should be questioned, is organisation and funding.

Far too easy to lay the blame firmly on the doorstep of the Government for underfunding.

Far too easy to blame NHS trusts for mismanagement, though with top-heavy administrations packed with highly-paid administrators, better could be expected.

The answer lies in a combination of better funding and better management.

It is simple to talk about figures and statistics, but let's not lose sight of the fact that behind each number is a person.

A person in pain. A sick person who has suffered and waited many months for a routine operation which, though routine to a hospital, is far from routine for them and their families.

A quick phone call, and hopes built up over the previous few weeks are dashed. All because the system is simply incapable of coping.

The National Health Service was set up with the highest of aims.

It was to offer free health care for everyone who needed it, when they needed it.

The idea started off as a healthy one. But less than half a century later, it's chronically sick itself and in major need of an overhaul.

Radical surgery is needed to cut down on administrators, followed by massive transplants of cash, doctors and nurses.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.