§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what information he has about the number of renal patients who satisfy the criteria of the Renal Association of Great Britain, and approved by the Department of Health, for treatment with Erythropoietin; and what percentage is receiving it;
(2) how much additional money he has made available to health authorities for the newly approved drug Erythropoietin to be prescribed; and what estimate he has made of the number of renal patients who will be treated as a result.
§ Mr. GristInformation on the number of renal patients who satisfy the criteria for treatment with Erythropoietin is not held centrally, nor is information on the number of patients receiving it. Recurrent funding of £390,000 per annum has been made available to health authorities in Wales which manage the regional main renal units to support the provision of Erythropoietin. However, the prescription of Erythropoietin is a matter of clinical judgment and I am unable to estimate the number of patients who will be treated.