Thursday, January 17, 2008

It's Different If You're Famous Pt 2

I am disgusted at the reports that Leslie Ash is to get a £5 million pay out from the NHS because she got MRSA when she was in hospital being treated for broken bones from bedroom gymnastics. The record payout is to compensate for her loss of earnings as an actress.

I admit I’m not going to be the most objective about this since my auntie has suffered from this twice and neither time was she in hospital with something that was self-inflicted like Ms Ash.

But even so there are things about this that annoy me.

Firstly, her acting career was over before she got MRSA after a botched lip implant job left her looking like a trout.

Secondly, and more importantly, people have died with MRSA – are their families getting more than £5m because surely death is worse than a thwarted career?

I'm sure it must be awful for her, its a horrible thing to happen to anyone and its terrible that people no longer feel safe in hospitals, but does she deserve this huge amount? She doesn't need the money but I'm sure other families who've been affected genuinely need financial support, but they don't have the means of getting these results.

I assume that there is some sort of insurance that covers NHS compensation but even so I hate the thought of so much money going to one person when you think what good that could do within a hospital.

Yet again it is a case of the lives of the rich and famous being more important than everyone else.

Of course, I will revise my opinion entirely if it turns out that she donates all the money back to a hospital. That's what I would do.

2 comments:

Mrs Fashion said...

My two penn'orth...

"Firstly, her acting career was over before she got MRSA after a botched lip implant job left her looking like a trout."
I hear ya loud and clear!

"Secondly, and more importantly, people have died with MRSA – are their families getting more than £5m because surely death is worse than a thwarted career?"
Yes, death is tragic but, and I don't mean to sound callous, when you're dead you don't need to continue to earn money to feed your self, pay the mortgage etc - although if you were the primary breadwinner and left a family of schoolchildren the effect of a death would prob be devastating financially, whatever the cause. Hope that made sense and wasn't offensive?

And re: revising your opinion? I wouldn't hold your breath. She went out and bought a Maserati the following day. Words now fail me.

SandDancer said...

I did mean to support any surviving relatives rather than to spend beyond the grave. Although it could be spent on a big funeral.

I did find her being photographed with the new car rather distasteful.