More patients are opting to pay for expensive life-saving surgery because of crippling NHS waiting lists, it has been reported.
So-called “self funded operations” have risen since the beginning of the pandemic, according to private providers.
And some patients faced with lengthy waiting lists say they have to pay for heart operations that can cost as much as £20,000.
The NHS waiting list in England has ballooned to 5.3 million, including nearly 4,000 patients who have been waiting for two years.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid revealed that when he took the job in June, officials warned him the backlog could grow to 13 million.
Array
