Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 29 September 2011
29 Sep 2011 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Cancer Drugs
I welcome the opportunity to speak in such a sensitive but crucial debate. The Scottish Conservatives are right to bring the issue to the chamber today.
I support any initiative to improve the treatment of cancer patients, but I do not believe that a cancer drugs fund is the answer. A drugs fund would not solve the problem of the drug approval system but would simply bypass it. The Conservatives’ proposals do not address the root causes of why patients might be denied access to some treatments—a view shared by Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Myeloma UK and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Murdo Fraser’s motion is right to point out the findings of the Rarer Cancers Foundation, but it does not address why there are treatments in England that are not given north of the border. The drug approval systems in both countries are very complex, and we must improve transparency around the Scottish Medicines Consortium, its decisions and their implementation. I back calls by Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Myeloma UK and Macmillan Cancer Support for an investigation into the factors that contribute to the SMC rejecting drugs on the basis of cost and clinical effectiveness, and how we can address such situations.
I find it worrying that the Conservatives would pay for a cancer drugs fund by bringing back prescription fees. To me, that is a tax on certain illnesses to pay for others. The money that would be used in a drugs fund should instead be used to improve the early detection of cancers and reduce the waiting times that patients experience, as the Labour manifesto pledged to do.
It is wrong that someone with suspected cancer should wait four weeks to see a specialist. As much as we need to improve and extend the life of a cancer patient, a drugs fund does not go far enough. More early detection and prevention of cancers are needed.
Even the Society and College of Radiographers has criticised the cancer drugs fund in England—the system that the Scottish Conservatives have based their plans on. Audrey Paterson, director of professional policy at the Society and College of Radiographers, said:
“it would only take a fraction of the £200 million budget to deliver cutting edge radiotherapy services across the country and the impact would be immense.”
That is an example of how the professionals feel about the fund in England. Miss Paterson is correct to say that more money should be invested in more effective treatment services.
I understand that some patients might be beyond the stage at which radiotherapy would help with their cancer, and that is where I feel that the heart of this debate must lead. Should we be providing drugs that improve the life chances of the cancer sufferer or drugs that simply extend their life? I would hope that any drug approved by the NHS, the SMC or any Government would do both.
As I said, this is a very sensitive debate, and party politics should play no part in it. We need more investment in early diagnosis and successful treatment and we need to rid each health board of the postcode lottery.
10:00
I support any initiative to improve the treatment of cancer patients, but I do not believe that a cancer drugs fund is the answer. A drugs fund would not solve the problem of the drug approval system but would simply bypass it. The Conservatives’ proposals do not address the root causes of why patients might be denied access to some treatments—a view shared by Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Myeloma UK and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Murdo Fraser’s motion is right to point out the findings of the Rarer Cancers Foundation, but it does not address why there are treatments in England that are not given north of the border. The drug approval systems in both countries are very complex, and we must improve transparency around the Scottish Medicines Consortium, its decisions and their implementation. I back calls by Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Myeloma UK and Macmillan Cancer Support for an investigation into the factors that contribute to the SMC rejecting drugs on the basis of cost and clinical effectiveness, and how we can address such situations.
I find it worrying that the Conservatives would pay for a cancer drugs fund by bringing back prescription fees. To me, that is a tax on certain illnesses to pay for others. The money that would be used in a drugs fund should instead be used to improve the early detection of cancers and reduce the waiting times that patients experience, as the Labour manifesto pledged to do.
It is wrong that someone with suspected cancer should wait four weeks to see a specialist. As much as we need to improve and extend the life of a cancer patient, a drugs fund does not go far enough. More early detection and prevention of cancers are needed.
Even the Society and College of Radiographers has criticised the cancer drugs fund in England—the system that the Scottish Conservatives have based their plans on. Audrey Paterson, director of professional policy at the Society and College of Radiographers, said:
“it would only take a fraction of the £200 million budget to deliver cutting edge radiotherapy services across the country and the impact would be immense.”
That is an example of how the professionals feel about the fund in England. Miss Paterson is correct to say that more money should be invested in more effective treatment services.
I understand that some patients might be beyond the stage at which radiotherapy would help with their cancer, and that is where I feel that the heart of this debate must lead. Should we be providing drugs that improve the life chances of the cancer sufferer or drugs that simply extend their life? I would hope that any drug approved by the NHS, the SMC or any Government would do both.
As I said, this is a very sensitive debate, and party politics should play no part in it. We need more investment in early diagnosis and successful treatment and we need to rid each health board of the postcode lottery.
10:00
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
Good morning. The first item of business is a debate on motion S4M-00956, in the name of Murdo Fraser, on cancer drugs and their availability in Scotland. I ...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
We have all seen newspaper headlines such as “Scots ‘worst’ for cancer survival”, “Lung cancer survival among the lowest in Europe” and Scotland “has the low...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy (Nicola Sturgeon)
SNP
I welcome the debate. As all of us in the chamber will recognise, the issues are complex, emotive, sensitive and often very challenging. Because of that, how...
Murdo Fraser
Con
I entirely understand the cabinet secretary’s point about equity. However, at the heart of that very question is the fact that we are where we are in relatio...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
I have already challenged that proposition and am happy to do so in greater detail in discussion with Murdo Fraser.The second key equity issue is the risk of...
Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD)
LD
Back in 2009, in response to the Public Petitions Committee inquiry, the cabinet secretary outlined three steps that her Government would take to improve acc...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Lab
I, too, thank the Conservatives for bringing the debate on access to cancer drugs to the chamber, because it gives us all an opportunity to consider how well...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
This is a point of information rather than a question, but Jackie Baillie will be aware—if she is not, she will be soon—that as part of the improvements that...
Jackie Baillie
Lab
That will be helpful. I hope that we can access the information soon.I encourage the Scottish Government to make further improvements. I pose the question wh...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
We move to the open debate. I remind members that speeches should be of four minutes. Time is really tight.09:40
Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP)
SNP
The debate is an emotive one. I thank Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Macmillan Cancer Support and Myeloma UK for their briefing.Murdo Fraser used the word “mora...
Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (Lab)
Lab
I very much welcome the debate, which highlights dilemmas that we face now, and which will become far more acute in the near future.On a recent visit to the ...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
For a country that is reputedly obsessed with sport, Scotland’s health record is not good and we all know it. For much of the time that the Parliament has ex...
Alex Johnstone
Con
I will not take an intervention because I have only four minutes and need to get one key principle across.Some years ago, I visited a research unit at the Un...
George Adam (Paisley) (SNP)
SNP
I know that my time is limited so I will try to be brief. This debate is on another emotive subject and I take on board the story of Murdo Fraser’s constitue...
Murdo Fraser
Con
If the member had read our fully costed manifesto he would have seen that, among other things, we do not think that it is right to be giving free prescriptio...
George Adam
SNP
I am glad I did not read the manifesto. The people of Paisley have an entirely different idea. They do not want to have to decide to pay either for their mes...
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
Everyone has said that the debate is very emotive, and it is. There is probably no one in the chamber or watching the debate who has not been touched by canc...
Alex Johnstone
Con
Would the member concede that, although it is not the job of politicians to decide what drugs should be available, it is certainly the job of politicians to ...
Kevin Stewart
SNP
I listened to yesterday’s debate on mental health in which there seemed to be agreement that it was up to clinicians to decide what to prescribe. For the sit...
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
Will the member give way?
Kevin Stewart
SNP
I have given way once and I have only four minutes.I wish the debate was more about prevention than about setting up a separate drugs fund. We have heard abo...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
The member really needs to wind up.
Kevin Stewart
SNP
Thank you, Presiding Officer.We should think about prevention rather than necessarily having to deal with cures all the time.09:58
Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the opportunity to speak in such a sensitive but crucial debate. The Scottish Conservatives are right to bring the issue to the chamber today. I su...
Mark McDonald (North East Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Like many in the chamber and in wider society, I have experience of losing a family member to cancer. It is worth noting that none of us in the chamber is im...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
Mr McDonald, will you conclude?
Mark McDonald
SNP
I will conclude with one final quotation from the oncology commission journal of The Lancet:“prevention is also essential and this too demands political will...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
We turn to closing speeches. I call Alison McInnes, who has kindly offered to take less than her allocated time.10:05
Alison McInnes
LD
I listened carefully to the cabinet secretary’s speech this morning and found it illuminating. The situation is not as clear-cut as the Conservatives have su...