Published: Wednesday, 31st December, 2008 10:30am

What Price Real Care?

by Roisin McGroarty

Angry son hits out at soaring public cost of methadone treatment

A MAN whose mum has to pay a fortune to live in a nursing home has expressed his anger over £2million spent on drug addicts' methadone.

Jimmy Millar, of Prestwick, spoke to the Advertiser Series about his shock that such a high amount of money has been spent on recovering drug addicts - compared to the lack of financial help his hardworking parents received when they needed it.

It has been recently revealed that in 2006/07 NHS Ayrshire and Arran health board spent £1,731,125.04 in dispensing methadone but this rose to £2,218,779 in 2007/08.

Jimmy's late father William Millar, who was well known around South Ayrshire as Willie, worked all his lefe before recently passing away while his mother Maureen, 87, currently suffers from dementia. Sadly their house had to be sold to pay for her nursing home.

The pair spent years working at Prestwick's Electric Bakery and were sure their home and money would be inheritance for their children.

Jimmy said: "My parents were Ayr residents, both were in the Salvation Army and collected for the army regularly, mostly at old Safeway's at Castlehill, they were really well known. They worked hard all their days with my father working after retirement age.

"It is just when you read that these people are getting all this money that it angers you. They just keep treating these people as victims but they are nothing of the kind. Methadone has been proved in research that it is totally worthless."

The 65-year-old grandfather added: "Father died suddenly and my mother, through no fault of her own, developed dementia. The family home has been sold to fund the famous Scottish 'free care for the elderly' to the tune of £1,742 per month. You can imagine my reaction to the news that £25million has been squandered on methadone for the ever growing band of self-inflicted wasters in this country."

Jimmy's comments have also received strong backing by a politician.

For the full story check this week's paper - on sale today.

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