Talks for hunger strike father

Stan Bowen spent the night outside the Welsh Assembly

A father who spent the night on hunger strike outside the Welsh Assembly in protest at his son's medical treatment has been granted a meeting with health chiefs.

Stan Bowen, 67, from Swansea, south Wales, is due to meet with Swansea NHS Trust staff on Tuesday afternoon inside the assembly headquarters.

I will stay as long as it takes. I've only got one son

Hunger striker Stan Bowen

He launched his protest on Monday to highlight decision to cancel a vital operation on his son, 38-year-old Peter.

Peter has been in a coma for two years since being attacked in Swansea.

But two appointments to assess surgery to improve his quality of life have been cancelled due to a lack of funds.

Supported by his wife Margaret and his family, Mr Bowen vowed to camp outside the assembly until he gets a satisfactory response.

And, speaking to BBC Wales on Tuesday, he said he would continue his protest indefinitely.

Peter Bowen has been in a coma for two years

"I will stay as long as it takes," he said. "I've only got one son."

Mr Bowen's protest is directed at the Swansea NHS Trust. His hope is to secure an operation for Peter which will involve inserting a pump to deliver medication directly to his spine.

The pump implantation programme - also used to treat victims of strokes, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease - has been suspended because the trust does not have the money for the regular monitoring which follows the operations.

"We are trying to resolve the issue of the ongoing costs of inserting the pump," said the Swansea NHS Trust in a statement.

Negotiations

"We are talking to the health authorities to see is they can contribute more funding."

The trust added that there were negotiations in place between the trust and the health authority.

A statement from Assembly Health Minister Jane Hutt said she was "concerned to hear about this distressing case" and that she had "great sympathy for the Bowens".

"This is an issue for the trust and health authority to deal with and I have asked them to contact the family immediately."

The Bowens currently drive 100 miles to see Peter at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Disease in Bath every Sunday, but staff there think he could be better cared for in Wales.

"He has been here nearly two years, and the bulk of the time we have not been providing active treatment," said consultant Dr Tony Clarke.

"This is at a cost of nearly £500 a day, and where he should be back in Wales having proper treatment or proper care in a long-term facility that would enable friends and relatives to visit."