IT is an astonishing statistic. According to the Centre for Health Economics at York University, hip fractures cost the National Health Service £5 million a day.

That adds up to a £1.7 billion bill for this treatment alone. Such startling expenditure should make ministers sit up and take notice of health economist Dr David Torgerson's suggestions for preventive medicine.

His proposals centre on methods to combat the brittle bone disease osteoporosis. Changes in diet, lifestyle, hormone replacement therapy and supplements of calcium and vitamin D are attractively simple ways to make a difference.

If we can reduce the instances of osteoporosis, fewer people will require hip replacements further down the line. That must be worth pursuing. Prevention is always better than cure, and the potential financial savings mean this programme will pay for itself.

But it must be made clear that any ambition to decrease the number of hip transplants is a long term aim. Many older people already believe that they receive second class medical care because of their age. To cut back on the number of operations now would only confirm their suspicions.

Hip replacement surgery is one of the NHS's most brilliant success stories. It has freed thousands of people from their prison of pain. It has given them back their independence. You cannot put a price on that.

The Government should implement Dr Torgerson's proposals to cut hip fractures and reduce further suffering. But it must at the same time reassure those waiting for hip replacements that the resources will remain in place to fund this vital surgery.