Hansard

I congratulate John Lamont on securing the debate. Although I recognise and applaud all Rotarians for their voluntary and humanitarian work at home and abroad, I will restrict myself to some examples from my constituency of Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, which has Rotary clubs from east to west—at Melrose, Peebles and Penicuik; at Innerleithen, Walkerburn and Traquair; at Lauderdale; and at Galashiels and district, as is mentioned in the motion.

I will start with the club in Gala and a project that was mentioned by John Lamont. After a meeting with a surgeon from Pakistan at an awareness day, plans unfolded to send redundant medical units to Pakistan. After some discussions with the director of NHS National Services Scotland, the national health service in Scotland made available to the Rotary Club of Galashiels and District trailers that had previously been used for breast cancer screening and which were available due to NHS Scotland upgrading its mammography X-ray screening technology from analogue to digital.

Amjad, the surgeon, advised that they could still be used in Pakistan and other parts of the world where analogue equipment is still in operation, so the trailers were shipped to Karachi in Pakistan, thanks to a generous donation from a businessman in Pakistan that met the substantial shipping cost of £133,000. Through the charity Rehabilitation Response, it was ensured that the empty space inside the units was filled with furniture to be donated to schools in Pakistan. The medical units were shipped out and arrived in Karachi in July and the first week of August last year. Patricia Paterson, who is the president of Galashiels Rotary, and Peter Croan, who have already been mentioned, attended the formal handover ceremony. The delivery of the units with the facilities to undertake breast screening has raised awareness as well as providing screening. There is no doubt that screening for and detection of breast cancer are highly important, which is now recognised in countries including Pakistan and not just in places like Scotland.

There have been thoughts about other joint projects including one on fridges for polio vaccination and a family project at the Hands centre. Discussions have taken place with the Rotary Club of Karachi—the movement is international—about the fact that several of those ideas would be excellent for RotaKids projects. There has even been an assessment of the possibility that the clinical impact may be greater if a focus on eye screening was taken on board. Another idea is the conversion of medical units for limb facilities or a medical facility.

The Rotary Club of Peebles is a medium-sized club with some 25 members of all ages. They, too, have contributed internationally and locally, and in the past few years have set up a dental project in Nepal and a refuge for children who are affected by AIDS in South Africa.

The Rotary Club of Penicuik has worked on backpacks for Mary’s Meals, and while I am talking about meals, I note the sterling work that all the Rotary clubs do in collecting food for the food banks that, regrettably, we have. The Penicuik club has also collected for Macmillan nurses, whether at the end of the checkouts in the supermarket or on the streets, and it raised funds this month for the trustees of Friends of Chitambo, which supports a hospital in central Zambia.

I was pleased to welcome the Melrose Rotarians to a special lunch in the Parliament with others who had adopted stations along the Borders railway. The planting spaces at Tweedbank are a local focus for them, and they also support other local events.

From flower beds to collecting tins and major charitable work such as shipping medical supplies and support abroad, the touch of the Rotarians’ voluntary work is invaluable. I am pleased to support John Lamont’s motion and I congratulate the Rotarians on all the work that they do across my constituency and elsewhere in Scotland.