Scottish Conservatives are pledging a £10m Cancer Drugs Fund so drugs available south of the border are also available in Scotland.
Speaking from Ayr, where she was joined by local candidate John Scott, Annabel Goldie, Scottish Conservative Leader, said:
“Scottish Conservatives believe that it is unacceptable there are expensive cancer drugs, recommended by doctors, available to patients in England and Wales, which are not available in Scotland.
“The action taken by the UK Government in setting up a Cancer Drugs Fund has been warmly received by cancer sufferers, their families and campaign groups in England and Wales. We believe it is time to take action in Scotland. That is why Scottish Conservatives are proposing a Scottish Cancer Drugs Fund of up to £10m per year to help provide the expensive drugs that prolong life.
“The SMC will continue to recommend NHS funding for drugs which are regarded as clinical and cost effective, but this additional funding will help cancer patients access the vital drugs their clinicians think they need.
“Scots cancer sufferers must be given all the help possible, not put in a worse position than their counterparts south of the border.”
Want to discuss other issues? Join in the debate on our new Scottish Voices forum
David McLetchie, Scottish Conservative Campaign Manager for the Scottish Parliament election, said yesterday that the first word out of Ed Miliband’s mouth in Scotland should be ‘sorry’, for landing us with Labour’s legacy of debt: “If Ed Miliband really cares about Scotland the first word out of his mouth should be ‘sorry’ for landing us with Labour’s legacy of debt. “Labour brought us to the brink of bankruptcy. Labour doubled the national debt and left us with the biggest budget deficit in our peacetime history. The UK is spending £120 million every single day just to pay off the interest on Labour’s debt. This is Labour’s legacy. “Ed Balls and Ed Miliband were Gordon Brown’s chief economic advisers and the architects of this economic mess. The sad thing is that having burdened our children and grandchildren with debt, and undermined our economy, Labour offers nothing but opportunistic attacks. Labour maxed out the national credit card and, just like a credit card debt, the longer you leave it the worse it gets. If we don’t take steps now to live within our means then we'll end up paying higher taxes and face deeper cuts in the future. Labour’s approach would mean less growth, less investment and fewer jobs. “Ed Miliband refuses to accept that Labour overspent before the boom turned to bust. For him, sorry seems to be the hardest word. His visit today confirms that Scotland is not safe in Labour’s hands.”Related posts: