NHS urged to support Garvie’s treatment bid

DUNDEE: City MSP wants NHS Tayside to use cash from its endowment fund to help pay for trip to Italy for treatment

cash from its endowment fund to meet the cost of the treatment.

NHS Tayside had to repay money into its endowment fund after it emerged it had dipped into it to pay for projects including a new IT system.

Former chairman John Connell and ex-chairwoman Lesley McLay both lost their jobs after misuse of the endowment fund, which had been sanctioned by the NHS board, became public.

In a letter to new NHS Tayside chairman John Brown, Ms Marra wrote: “I understand that Garvie will not be receiving any further treatment in Scotland to treat his leukaemia and that having Car T Cell therapy is their last hope.

“The family have raised almost half of this money. To my mind, the NHS should be paying for this treatment or NHS Tayside’s endowment fund.

“As we both know, the endowment fund was misappropriated over the last few years and has now been set right.”

Ms Marra has also written to new Scottish government health secretary Jeanne Freeman about Garvie’s plight.

Garvie’s mum Haley, 32, said: “This is something that would help.

“It would be amazing and would stop all the worrying.”

She added: “We have £80,000 now but need £95,000 for the first treatment.”

A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: “We would like to be as supportive as possible to the Winter family. We will be carefully considering what support, including financial support, we can offer for Garvie’s ongoing treatment.”

She added an independent board would need to approve any use of money from the fund.