Mr. Edward M. Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will appoint a suitably qualified person to conduct an immediate and comprehensive inquiry into the supply and availability of kidney machines in Scottish hospitals and the extent to which the available machines are adequate to meet the demand for such treatment.
Mr. Edward M. Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received regarding the shortage of kidney machines in Scotland.
§ Mr. RossRepresentations have been received from one town council and eleven members of the public, seven of them through hon. Members.
Mr. Edward M. Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has received from the regional hospital boards regarding the numbers of additional kidney machines which will be available in Scotland in each of the next three years.
§ Mr. RossFour more machines should be ready for use in January, 1967 and a further ten are expected later in the year. Five additional machines are at present planned for 1968, and further developments in 1968 and later are being considered.
Mr. Edward M. Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the number of people in Scotland who require treatment by kidney machines.
§ Mr. RossIt is estimated that in Scotland about 250 new patients each year would benefit from this treatment.
Mr. Edward M. Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many kidney machines are available in Scottish hospitals; and what were the comparable figures for each of the previous three years.
§ Mr. RossTen kidney machines are currently in use for chronic intermittent renaldialysis and another four machines are expected to be ready for use next month. It is only during the past eighteen months that renaldialysis has emerged as a proven and reliable form of treatment for chronic renal failure; and the first three machines to be used exclusively for this purpose were brought into operation in April, 1966.