§ 50. Mrs. Joyce Butlerasked the Minister of Health what reply he has sent to the Patients' Association's request for the formulation of a national policy on preventive medicine.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonI have confirmed the policy described in previous correspondence between the Patients' Association and my Department, and have pointed out that my Department and the Medical Research Council are taking the leading rôle in initiating and financing research to establish the value of particular screening procedures. I have sent my hon. Friend a copy of my letter to the Association.
§ Mrs. ButlerIn view of the large amount of hitherto unsuspected illness which has been uncovered by the limited screening campaign so far undertaken and the consequent benefit to the health of the nation by increasing these campaigns, as well as the saving on the National Health Service, would my right hon. Friend speed up this examination, with a view to introducing a much more comprehensive preventive health service?
§ Mr. RobinsonI intend to encourage presymptomatic preventive screening only for conditions in which research has shown that there is a valid test capable of detecting true disease at an early stage, and for which there is an effective treatment. Screening which does not fulfil these conditions could be wasteful of resources and could well do harm.
§ Sir K. JosephIs the Minister aware that we will thoroughly support any extension of the use of reliable screening techniques? Will he tell the House whether the Government are going to increase the allocation of money to march hand in hand with the practicability of increased checking techniques such as he has been discussing?
§ Mr. RobinsonWe are increasing the allocation of money generally to hospital authorities; but if the right hon. Gentleman means, are we going to make special allocations, then he knows very well that this has not been the practice in financing the hospital services, under this Government or previous ones.