Motion: Royal National Institute for the Blind Campaign on Photodynamic Therapy Treatment

Royal National Institute for the Blind Campaign on Photodynamic Therapy Treatment

Lodged by Kate Maclean Standard Motion 42 supporters

The motion

That the Parliament congratulates the Royal National Institute of the Blind, Scotland, on its campaign to secure the provision on the NHS of the effective Photodynamic Therapy Treatment (PDT) for wet Age-related Macular Degeneration; notes that the total cost of this treatment would be an estimated £2 million, equating to £6,000 per patient; further notes that the average cost of caring for someone who becomes blind is £10,000 per annum; rejects the unjustified rationing of the treatment in England and Wales proposed by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) which would limit treatment to only the second affected eye and only if the second eye retains at least 6/36 acuity; further rejects the need to wait until the NICE appeal is completed before the treatment is available on the NHS in Scotland; calls on the Scottish Executive to fund forthwith PDT treatment by the NHS in Scotland, and believes that it is unacceptable that 600 elderly Scots who could benefit from the PDT treatment will otherwise unnecessarily go blind each year.

Supporters (42)