§ 8. Mr. Conlanasked the Minister of Health if he will take steps to ensure that adequate facilities are provided for the establishment of a national standard for anticoagulant therapy.
§ Mr. SnowI understand from the Medical Research Council that there is no lack of facilities, and work on the establishment of a national standard is proceeding.
§ Mr. ConlanIs my hon. Friend aware that there exists at the Withington Hospital, Manchester, the basis for such a scheme and that other regional hospital boards are using this service, but that it is impossible satisfactorily to develop and extend this scheme out of the financial resources of one regional hospital board?
§ Mr. SnowWe are aware of the work being done by the Withington Hospital, Manchester, and it is producing a thromboplastin comparative reagent. I understand that there has been a generous contribution of the reagent prepared by Dr. Poller towards the proposed national thromboplastin standard. My Department is also working in close collaboration with the Medical Research Council in this matter.