Call for action over ‘cancer care crisis’
A MSP has warned of a‘cancer care crisis’ and demanded urgent action to tackle the backlog of cancer care.
It comes as new statistics published on Tuesday show that cancer incidence was on the rise across the south of Scotland – even before the pandemic began.
Figures show that, in Ayrshire and Arran, incidences of all cancer types stood at 2346 in 2009.
And in 2019, that figure was eight per cent higher at 2537.
Labour MSP for South of Scotland, Colin Smyth said:“We are facing a cancer care crisis due to the pandemic and with incidence on the rise, thousands of Scots are now in a race against time to get treatment. It is the duty of the Scottish Government to pull out all the stops to ensure that people get the treatment that they need.
“Anything short of immediate and proportionate action to tackle the cancer care crisis is playing fast and loose with the lives of Scots. We need to see diagnostics and screening efforts ramped up immediately. Tackling the Covid pandemic hit other NHS services hard, including cancer care. During the election campaign Labour highlighted the need for action to fix the cancer crisis and just because polling day is behind us, it won’t stop us demanding that the Scottish Government pull out all the stops to ensure that people get the treatment they need. As we move out of the pandemic we need to see diagnostics and screening efforts ramped up.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said:“Cancer treatment has been a priority throughout the pandemic and for those who have received a diagnosis with a decision on treatment the wait before that treatment has on average, been three days. But we know that necessary decisions to focus our NHS on responding to COVID-19 has meant delays in diagnosis. We are urgently addressing the situation.”