Hansard

I congratulate Helen Eadie on bringing this debate to the Parliament. I, too, am a member of the Parliament’s cross-party group on heart disease and stroke.

Members will not often hear me say that I will sing the same tune as Jackie Baillie is singing—whether we are singing from a hymn sheet, a song sheet or whatever. However, Jackie Baillie’s point about preventative spend made good sense.

Helen Eadie mentioned the payback of 11 Australian dollars for every Australian dollar spent on rehabilitation, but the issue is much more important than that. It is about saving lives, enhancing lives and ensuring that, when rehabilitation is given, people can generally lead, more often than not, a normal life. That is the important factor.

I am sure that the Government will not miss the fact that providing the appropriate rehabilitation—whether it is hospital based, community based or domicile based—is cost effective. Domicile-based and community-based rehabilitation is certainly much preferred in our remote and rural areas—I think that Dave Thompson alluded to that.

The percentage of people who receive rehabilitation is far too low. We know that people themselves have a role to play in that. Diet and exercise are important, but structured formal rehabilitation is by far the best way of saving lives.

We need to congratulate all the charities involved. We have heard about the British Heart Foundation Scotland, and Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland, but many other local charities are trying to assist and provide good guidance and peer support for people with heart conditions. Helen Eadie mentioned the psychological aspect of people and families who are coping with heart conditions. I believe that there is sufficient evidence for the Government to take action on appropriate rehabilitation for our patients in Scotland.

12:51