GAVIN Bell is to be congratulated on his excellent article on prostate cancer treatment ("The science fiction surgeon saving more than men's lives", The Herald, May 17).

I recently underwent testing for prostate cancer and though, fortunately, the test proved negative I have witnessed at first hand the misery incontinence brings to others and the severe effects it has on their lives. The fact that the Da Vinci machines, which can mostly avoid these and similar complications resulting from prostate surgery, are widely available in England and elsewhere in Europe while there is not a single one in Scotland is scandalous.

Health Secretary Alex Neil's response to the situation (that a group has been set up to develop a research proposal) is unacceptable. These machines are years overdue and required in Scotland now.

The situation begs the question: how has the NHS in Scotland allowed this situation to develop? The health service has been protected from the unprecedented cuts to funding that have been made in other essential public services, but how efficiently and effectively this funding is used is a matter of concern. The welfare of patients and the health of individuals must come first and not the interests of groups of highly-paid employees within the NHS.

David McLellan,

18 Broom Road East, Newton Mearns.

I WAS delighted to read Mary Hemphill's letter (May 17) on the subject of anti-coagulation clinics.

I have attended these clinics for more than 20 years. Even when I was working as a district nursing sister I was not allowed to self-manage a simple finger-prick blood test similar to those I was doing every day for diabetic patients. Like Mrs Hemphill my requests to self-manage were refused for the same reason: I did not work away from home.

The cost of a coagulation monitoring device is about £300. The reagent sticks, to place in the device with the blood sample, are already available on prescription (as are diabetic reagent sticks). Additional costs would be the annual calibration of the monitoring device. Too expensive to supply suitable patients with the monitor? Hardly, in comparison to the cost of trained nurses, laptop computers and the cost of transporting the housebound to the various clinics and hospitals.

Certainly some patients could not self-manage anti-coagulation testing, just as there are diabetic patients who cannot self-manage, but there are many of us out here who are competent and anxious to manage their own anti-coagulation testing, freeing up expensive trained nursing staff and resources for those who really do need help.

Sheila Allan,

6b Killermont View,

Glasgow.