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Chamber

Plenary, 01 Feb 2007

01 Feb 2007 · S2 · Plenary

Item of business

Cervical Cancer

Watt, Maureen SNP North East Scotland Watch on SPTV

I will be brief, because most of what I wanted to say has already been said. I, too, thank Ken Macintosh for bringing the debate to the chamber. As others have said, it is timely, because a decision on the vaccine will be made soon.

It is great that advances in medical science have detected the reasons for cervical cancer and genital warts. The cause seems to be viral, and given that at least one vaccine has been found to prevent cervical cancer, we should take forward the advances in medical science and put them to good use.

As others have said, in the UK three people die from cervical cancer each day. One in three of those who are identified with the disease die from it. If that were the case with flu, an epidemic would be declared and Government ministers would do something about it.

Screening will still be necessary if the vaccine is successful, but we hope that it will be done at longer intervals. Last week, Nanette Milne and I were in talks with Grampian NHS Board, which confirmed that there has been a decline in the take-up of cervical screening. It is not difficult to identify the reasons for that. Someone may make an appointment and then find out that it is not convenient, so they cancel it and make another appointment at another time. The matter slips off the agenda of busy women's lives.

I, too, recently met representatives of Jo's Trust, including a young woman who had recently been diagnosed with and treated for cervical cancer. She spoke movingly about the trauma caused by being told that she had an abnormal smear, the examinations, the invasive surgery and the disruption to her life and that of her wider family. If there is a way of preventing that, surely we should introduce it.

I, too, take on the people who say that the introduction of the vaccine is likely to lead to an increase in sexual activity. I do not believe that that is the case. As part of the sexual health programme, we have to make clear the possibility of picking up STDs. Education on sexual health will still be necessary. My 14-year-old daughter, who is involved in the peer education programme, has been talking to me about this issue and about the talks that she is giving to others.

It would be remiss of us not to take up the innovation and research that has been done in this area. As others have said, the vaccine is being introduced in other places. In New Hampshire, nine to 26-year-olds are getting it. It should not be left to the well-off, many hundreds of whom are now paying £450 for three doses of the vaccine. The people who need the vaccine most must get access to it. I hope that the minister will give us good news.