A hepatitis C sufferer who has not been able to get a single lifesaving injection in Oxford for four months because of NHS staff shortages is considering paying $8,000 to get the treatment in Brazil.
Chris Bradshaw, from Witney, had his appointment to get an Interferon alpha jab at the John Radcliffe Hospital cancelled on Thursday for the third time in three weeks.
He was told the hospital could not find a nurse to give him the injection.
Mr Bradshaw said the receptionist who called him offered a grovelling apology and said he had to cancel 40 appointments that day.
After being diagnosed with HIV and hepatitis C in December, Mr Bradshaw was told he needed to have daily pills and weekly injections for both or he would die.
He had no trouble in getting his Triumeq pills from the Churchill Hospital, but since he was supposed to start his injections at the JR in April he has not had one.
The 39-year-old software salesman said: "I just think it's disgusting.
"If I don't get this treatment I will get liver cirrhosis and die.
"The guy who called me said he had to phone 40 people to tell them they can't have treatment. He was so upset about it I ended up consoling him, it must be awful.
"I called back and said 'I really needed this treatment, I've been waiting since April', and they said 'we don't have the staff, what do you want us to do?'"
Mr Bradshaw discovered he could receive the same treatment in Brazil.
He said he was seriously considering it as his partner's family live there and it is known for providing the specialist treatment.
When he was first diagnosed, Mr Bradshaw, who lives with his partner Miguel Krucoski, asked his employer for six months off work, which he was granted.
But he is not getting sick pay and his bills are mounting up.
He said: "I've paid my taxes since I started working at 16, I'm not getting sick pay, I'm not entitled to benefits, and now I've got bills like you wouldn't believe.
"My car is on finance, my rent is £800 a month, then there's electric bills, but the hospital staff don't see that.
"My only other option is to get a loan from my bank and do it privately, because I this is going to go on forever.
"I've just found out I can get the same treatment in Brazil for $8,000.
"The NHS has to pay £138,000 for the same drug treatment for six months – it's absolutely ridiculous."
He added: "They are putting my life on hold. I just want to get back to work and get on with my life. It's so frustrating."
Overstretched hospitals in Oxfordshire have already warned they are having massive problems recruiting enough staff.
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the John Radcliffe and the Horton Hospital in Banbury, lost more than 13 per cent of its 11,500 employees in the 12 months to March this year.
That same month the trust launched a scheme offering new nurses the equivalent of their first month's rent and deposit, after acknowledging the high cost of living in Oxfordshire was one of the main causes of the problem.
Last month Stuart Bell, the NHS boss in charge of finding £200m savings for the county's health services, said getting enough workers was going to "one of the biggest challenges" he faced.
Chris Bradshaw, from Witney, had his appointment to get an Interferon alpha jab at the John Radcliffe Hospital cancelled on Thursday for the third time in three weeks.
He was told the hospital could not find a nurse to give him the injection.
Mr Bradshaw said the receptionist who called him offered a grovelling apology and said he had to cancel 40 appointments that day.
After being diagnosed with HIV and hepatitis C in December, Mr Bradshaw was told he needed to have daily pills and weekly injections for both or he would die.
He had no trouble in getting his Triumeq pills from the Churchill Hospital, but since he was supposed to start his injections at the JR in April he has not had one.
The 39-year-old software salesman said: "I just think it's disgusting.
"If I don't get this treatment I will get liver cirrhosis and die.
"The guy who called me said he had to phone 40 people to tell them they can't have treatment. He was so upset about it I ended up consoling him, it must be awful.
"I called back and said 'I really needed this treatment, I've been waiting since April', and they said 'we don't have the staff, what do you want us to do?'"
Mr Bradshaw discovered he could receive the same treatment in Brazil.
He said he was seriously considering it as his partner's family live there and it is known for providing the specialist treatment.
When he was first diagnosed, Mr Bradshaw, who lives with his partner Miguel Krucoski, asked his employer for six months off work, which he was granted.
But he is not getting sick pay and his bills are mounting up.
He said: "I've paid my taxes since I started working at 16, I'm not getting sick pay, I'm not entitled to benefits, and now I've got bills like you wouldn't believe.
"My car is on finance, my rent is £800 a month, then there's electric bills, but the hospital staff don't see that.
"My only other option is to get a loan from my bank and do it privately, because I this is going to go on forever.
"I've just found out I can get the same treatment in Brazil for $8,000.
"The NHS has to pay £138,000 for the same drug treatment for six months – it's absolutely ridiculous."
He added: "They are putting my life on hold. I just want to get back to work and get on with my life. It's so frustrating."
Overstretched hospitals in Oxfordshire have already warned they are having massive problems recruiting enough staff.
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the John Radcliffe and the Horton Hospital in Banbury, lost more than 13 per cent of its 11,500 employees in the 12 months to March this year.
That same month the trust launched a scheme offering new nurses the equivalent of their first month's rent and deposit, after acknowledging the high cost of living in Oxfordshire was one of the main causes of the problem.
Last month Stuart Bell, the NHS boss in charge of finding £200m savings for the county's health services, said getting enough workers was going to "one of the biggest challenges" he faced.
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