Just having returned from a short vacation in Greece I have been forced to look at all the emails I ignored while sipping retsina and eating excellent rabbit cooked with wine and onions.

So I must confess I actually laughed out loud when I read this article from Leicester’s Hospitals.

They said ” It is now easier than ever for patients to buy copies of their x-rays. The Imaging Department at Leicester’s Hospitals has an exciting, new payment machine for patients who want personal copies of their x-ray images.

The new machine has been installed in the x-ray waiting room in the Balmoral building at the Royal. For a flat fee of £10, the images are burned onto an encrypted disc and posted out to patients at home the next working day*.

Colin Ross, superintendent radiographer for Leicester’s Hospitals, said: “We are really pleased to be able to offer this additional service to our patients who often ask our radiographers for copies of their pictures. Until now there has not been a quick and straight forward way for us to do this.”

Colin adds: “Although many hospitals in the UK are able to offer patients the chance to purchase ultrasound pictures of their babies, we are not aware of anywhere else that has one of these machines which allows patients to buy personal copies of their x-ray images.”

The new machine allows patients to pay for copies of their x-ray images by cash or card. It applies to all x-rays taken on the day, but does not extend to scans or historic x-rays.”

But then I remembered years ago my sister tried to buy a copy the x-ray taken of her broken arm. And most parents have copies of the ultrasound scan taken of their children. I have.

On the other hand people in the UK may consider it back door to privatisation of the UK’s National Health Service.

So what do you think? It would be great if you could take the poll below to share your views. Feel free to expand upon them in the comments section below.

Thanks in advance!