Could Edwina have saved more people's sight? - Randerson

2.38.06pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 25th Jun 2008

Wet AMD can cause blindness inas little as three months

Welsh Lib Dem Spokesperson for Health Jenny Randerson AM has today challenged Edwina Hart AM to explain why she did not take up a request to write to LHBs several months ago, instructing them to prepare to treat Wet AMD.

Yesterday, Ms Hart announced funding to treat Wet AMD with Lucentis, pre-empting the NICE guidance that has not yet been issued, but in a letter to Jenny Randerson, in March, Ms Hart refused to write to LHBs asking them to prepare to treat Wet AMD as soon as the NICE guidance is issued because "it would not be appropriate to pre-empt the NICE guidance."

Questions are now being raised as to why Ms Hart refused to pre-empt the guidance in March but yesterday, did just that.

Jenny Randerson said: "It seems that the only way that this Government can be forced to listen to common sense is when the headlines go wrong for them.

"Why did the Minister refuse to pre-empt the guidance in March but yesterday happily did it? And more importantly, how many people's sight has been lost in that time?"

"I hope that the Minister will answer these questions and more importantly, will learn in the future that when she has the opportunity to act, she does so at the earliest possible opportunity."

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