Hansard

Once again, Trish Godman has brought to members' business an important and substantial issue. Seven months ago, the issue was the human rights of wheelchair users. I was delighted to participate in that debate, which left me committed to the issues that were raised in it. Today, on the back of a series of carefully worded parliamentary written questions that have teased out information that has illustrated the comparative enormity of the issue, Trish Godman has secured a debate on thrombosis. I congratulate her on that.

At the heart of the matter is the tragedy of one family in Trish Godman's constituency and the perseverance of Gordon McPherson, to whose efforts Annabel Goldie paid tribute when she raised the issue directly with the First Minister at First Minister's questions on 5 June.

As the terms of the motion illustrate, thrombosis is a huge reaper of lives. Because it is a sudden and silent killer, it is routinely identified as the cause of death after the event and, as a result, has not received the widespread public attention that it deserves. It is certainly true that for a time the media became excited about the possibility of fatal DVT developing on long-haul flights. As they competed to be more lurid, the news media gave the issue its 15 minutes of fame, but they have now moved on, even if sudden and unexplained deaths on flights might still make the news.

As the motion effectively illustrates, the issue has so far had none of the attendant public demand for action that issues that have taken fewer lives have attracted. That is not an argument against tackling MRSA and Clostridium difficile—far from it—nor is it an attempt to diminish in any way the lives that are lost through breast cancer, from which my sister-in-law is suffering, or as a result of HIV/AIDS or land transport accidents, which as Trish Godman established in a parallel question in May, kill only a fraction of the number of people who are lost to thrombosis.

The figures confirm that, whether through well-organised support networks or sustained and prominent media attention, other conditions and potential killer situations receive much more prominence and attention than thrombosis does. That does not happen at the expense of thrombosis, but there is an obliviousness to the condition. In other debates, I have argued that men's health issues have similarly received less attention in the absence of the well-organised and proactive campaigns that have been conducted on behalf of women's health issues. I make no complaint against those who have done such progressive work on behalf of women; I merely observe that the absence of an overtly organised campaign seems to leave progress in the treatment of certain conditions out in the cold.

That situation needs to change, and I commend Trish Godman, Nanette Milne, Jackie Baillie and Annabel Goldie who, with well-chosen parliamentary questions, have in recent months all sought to prepare the ground for what I think we all recognise is needed—a structured national awareness campaign and a developing debate on the possibility of the provision of a screening programme and comprehensive treatment.

Ahead of this evening's debate, Trish Godman asked MSPs to revert to the GP's surgery that they might have visited during the summer recess, and she did so again tonight. She wanted us to find out whether the public information leaflet that was produced in memory of Katie McPherson was on display and whether we had noticed it on our visits. The response to the second part of that request is that the leaflet was not noticeable in my GP's surgery, if it was on view. I have not yet had a response about whether it was on view, so I might have to sneak back and look for myself.

The leaflet sets out the various at-risk categories. The list is not short—it includes far more people than just those who go on long-haul flights. It includes categories of people, such as those who are obese, who are at risk of a number of potentially fatal conditions and who are targeted by more than one information campaign. It is a good leaflet that sets out the facts and does not shy away from explaining complicated matters; it is certainly helpful and to be commended. Everyone who worked hard to produce it and have it displayed deserves our thanks. However, the leaflet in itself is probably not sufficient to sustain a national effort to improve awareness.

Those who are at risk can take certain sensible actions, some of which were mentioned by Ian McKee: smoking cessation, cutting down on salt, having a balanced diet with less fat, eating more fruit, exercising and drinking less alcohol. We have heard them before and are familiar with the list. Around one in 20 people carries the thromophilia gene and about 3,000 of those who die of thrombosis do so of DVT. That group's susceptibility could be established through a screening programme.

We have talked about screening programmes before, and I know that the response of all Governments will be that they act on advice. Screening has been rolled out before, but it will be subject to review again. From experience, I am certain that, in this campaign, public awareness and demand will play a part in bringing about screening. However, I suspect that it will not happen soon.

For the moment, despite our knowledge about the reach of thrombosis, we must contemplate having a long-term campaign with key milestone objectives. Screening for those with the thrombophilia gene will be a longer-term goal. However, building on the work of the McPherson family and ensuring that general practitioners give greater prominence to thrombosis to aid a general increase in public awareness should be an immediate priority. Resolving to ensure that those who need it receive good and detailed advice should also be a priority. When the minister sums up, we want to hear how the Government will act to make progress against those objectives.

Again, Trish Godman has us debating an issue of substance. I suspect that these are the early days of a long campaign, but I wish it well and assure it of my support.