Pensioner, 77, claims to have waited EIGHT years for a hernia operation on the NHS

An elderly man claims he has waited eight years to have a hernia operation on the NHS.

Frederick Bevan, from Swansea, was first referred for surgery in 2006 but the 77-year-old widower is still waiting for the operation to take place.

He said: ‘I know things are bad at A&Es, but eight years can’t be right.

‘My life is on hold. I can’t socialise, I can’t go out and have a little dance.’

Mr Bevan agrees that fate has also played a role in the long delay.

At one stage he decided to go private but it snowed and the operation was cancelled.

Then he experienced more bad luck.

‘I agreed to go to Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend in 2011 but ended up in intensive care following an allergic reaction to an antibiotic so I still had the hernia,’ he said.

‘Then in October last year I went into Morriston Hospital and they told me I was having the operation. I waited three hours and they sent me home. There were no beds.’

Mr Bevan, who says he has paid National Insurance all his working life, has even gone to his MP Geraint Davies about the situation.

If left untreated some hernias can cause a bowel obstruction or cut off the blood supply to the affected tissue - both are medical emergencies.

A spokesman for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board said: ‘Mr Bevan was due to have undergone surgery at Morriston Hospital in October.

‘Unfortunately we sometimes have to postpone non-urgent, pre-planned operations due to emergency patients needing urgent, unplanned care.

‘Although Morriston Hospital continues to be extremely busy, we are in contact with Mr Bevan to arrange an alternative date as soon as possible.

‘We offer our sincere apologies for any inconvenience and upset caused.’

This article is courtesy from The Daily Mail.