Are there any comments on PE398, from Helen McDade and others, which deals with myalgic encephalomyelitis?
Official Report · Committee
Petitions
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (PE398)
Speakers
Choose an MSP to read only their contributions- Christine Grahame SNP 5
- David Davidson Con 3
- Kate Maclean Lab 2
- Mike Rumbles LD 2
The record
12 contributionsI believe that the Health Committee should consider taking action in relation to this matter and making contact with the cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on ME. The Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, Tom McCabe, recently gave a presentation to that group.The petitioner wants there to be a strategic needs review, but we have no notion of the number of people who are affected by the condition. There are issues about whether the medical profession is fully up to speed on some of the symptoms. This is an extremely grey area.I am sure that we have all received communications on the subject from sufferers and carers. There is a growing mood among the medical fraternity that it would be helpful if it were possible to get a handle on the issue. I believe that the committee is in a position to do something in that regard, even if it is only to advise the Parliament on the matter before we deal with the suggestions that have been made about service changes and resourcing.We do not know the scale of the problem in Scotland and the committee could play a role in finding that out.
Would you be satisfied by the option of asking the Executive what plans it has to implement the action group's recommendations, and whether it has a timetable for that?
We should go further.
The first two options are not mutually exclusive. Pursuing both would provide us with more information.
I have those two bullet points ticked. If there is no dissent, we will pursue both.
Are you saying that there will be an inquiry into the petition, leading to a report?
No—we will have to wait for responses.
I am not clear what the convener meant by the two bullet points.
I was referring to two of the options suggested in the paper. They are"Asking the lead petitioner to comment on the recommendations of the action group"and"Asking the Executive what plans it has to implement the action group's recommendations, and whether it has a timetable".We will not need to circulate that because it is pretty clear. We will copy the cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on ME into the correspondence and seek its comments.
I would not like the committee to rule out a further inquiry, but before we decide whether an inquiry would be productive we need to have base evidence.
I am bearing in mind our schedule. It is difficult for us to commit ourselves at an early stage to holding an inquiry. We need to see the responses first.
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Everything on 7 Oct 2003 →- Scottish Parliament Health Committee Tuesday 7 October 2003 (Afternoon) Committee business · 1
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