§ Mr. Luardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in view of the long-term financial savings involved, he will authorise the use of lithium-powered heart pacemakers in NHS hospitals.
§ Dr. OwenHealth authorities may already provide National Health Service patients with lithium-powered cardiac pacemakers. However, the extra initial cost of lithium-powered units and the fact that the claims made for them are as yet unproven are factors which health authorities have to bear in mind when assessing their development priorities in the light of the many competing demands on their available resources.