A Horwich couple are battling for safer care for their sons.

Jan and Paul Hartley have three young sons all suffering from haemophilia.

Every three or four weeks the three boys Tim, 13, Tom, 10 and Matthew, seven, visit the Royal Manchester Childrens Hospital for treatment.

They receive Human Plasma Factor 8, a blood clotting agent which works to counteract the worst effect of their condition. But the plasma also carries the risk of victims contracting Hepatitis A and the Parvo Virus.

The family and fellow haemophiliacs from across the North West say they are being denied a safer treatment because it is more expensive.

The genetically engineered Recombinant treatment offers haemophiliacs a treatment which carries virtually no risk of infection

The Hartleys and other parents, supported by the North West Haemophilia Society, claim the extra cost of the Recombinant treatment is tying health bosses' hands.

To draw the public's attention to their plight and prompt a change in hospital policy the couple who live in Snowdon Drive, Horwich, joined others outside RMCH yesterday and demanded action.

A spokesman for Wigan and Bolton Health Authority said this area of clinical provision was the responsibility of Bury and Rochdale Health Authority which acted on its behalf as the lead purchaser for these services.

"As far as we can see the consultant in this case has not made any approach to the health authority. Only when he does can our own public health team make any recommendation as to a change in treatment and this recommendation will be made on clinical grounds," he added.

A press statement from the RMCH, said Recombinant Factor VIII was only prescribed for their patients who needed it on urgent clinical grounds and added the product would only be used on other patients if the relevant health authorities agreed to fund the cost of the treatment.

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