A hospital in Suffolk has been criticised for a fundraising plan to offer radiotherapy to family pets.
Ipswich Hospital proposes using equipment unused at weekends to treat pets with cancer in Saturday clinics.
The hospital aims to raise ?50,000 a year from the idea to help pay off debts of more than ?24m.
The Patients Association condemned it as “horrifying” but the hospital said no patients would be disadvantaged and there would be no infection risk.
Hospital spokeswoman Jan Rowsell said the idea was among 700 put forward by staff to raise funds.
She said the hospital was considering teaming up with a veterinary school. If the idea became a reality the hospital would use stringent infection control procedures.
“Everything will be covered in anti-allergy drapes and hygiene will be of the utmost importance,” she said.
“The radiotherapy room would be thoroughly deep cleaned after each session and the costs we would charge would include very strong, robust cleaning and infection control measures.”
She pledged to thoroughly discuss this idea with patient-user groups if it were adopted.
‘Desperate measures’
But Patients Association spokeswoman Katherine Murphy said she was horrified by the idea.
“Do we really have to resign ourselves to such desperate measures as to begin treating animals where people are treated?” she said.
“Is this really the way forward?
“I hope this idea never gets off the ground. I think it is a disaster waiting to happen. Surely there are other ways of identifying areas where costs could be reduced?”
Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “These are the lengths the NHS is being driven to by the Ggovernment’s financial mismanagement and the way deficits are impacting on hospitals.
“One would normally expect NHS equipment to be fully occupied providing services to NHS patients.”