A TRIPLE heart bypass patient from Malton claims going private saved his life.

Ray "Mac" McElwain, 67, of Highfield Road, was told he would have to wait at least six months for the operation on the NHS, despite the fact that he was suffering daily attacks.

"I knew there was no way I would live that long," said Mr McElwain, who moved to North Yorkshire from London 17 years ago to set up a successful printing business.

"The heart specialist said they would bring me in if anything happened in the meantime, but I pointed out that if I had a massive heart attack I probably wouldn't survive the wait for an ambulance, the 24-mile journey to Scarborough Hospital and the transfer to the operating theatre at Cottingham."

After talking to his family, he decided to go private and was offered a ten-day stay at Castle Hill Hospital at Cottingham, near Hull, for £10,187. He had the money because he had recently sold his narrowboat.

"Just like that," he said. "my six-month wait was now six days. I still nearly didn't make it though."

Hours before his operation, Mr McElwain had a major attack. His wife, Daphne, was called at midnight to say he was in a serious condition.

"It took them two hours to stabilise me," he said. "I was lucky to be in hospital when it happened."

Mr McElwain had his operation 16 weeks ago and is now fully recovered. Before his bypass, he couldn't walk more than 100 yards uphill without stopping for a breather; now he is planning a sponsored cyclo-walk (walk uphill, cycle down) from John O'Groats to Land's End to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

He has nothing but praise for the NHS staff who have cared for him since he first started suffering from heart problems two years ago, and happily refers to the staff and facilities at Castle Hill as "the best in the country". But his views of the Government are less positive.

"The only thing wrong with the NHS is the Government," he said. "It doesn't provide enough money to keep the waiting lists down and the operating theatres busy.

"Going private saved my life. I'd like to think that my money will help other people who can't afford to pay for their operation.

"I know that my surgeon got a couple of thousand and the anaesthetist got a thousand or so, but the rest went straight back to the NHS as payment for the facilities. I hope it gets used wisely."

Ryedale Tory MP John Greenway said Mr McElwain's case was an example of our two-tier health system.

He said: "We think he should have had more of a choice.

"But the question also arises - should he be entitled to some contribution from the NHS because he's used his own money?

"If the Government had made the decision to put his case in the private sector, they would have paid the bill."

Updated: 10:32 Monday, November 10, 2003