§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the benefits of screening all women aged over 50 years for osteoporosis; and what estimate he has made of the(a) cost of such a programme and (b) potential savings to the NHS by such early detection and treatment; [147308]
51W(2) how many bone scans for the detection of osteoporosis were undertaken in each of the last five years; what the estimated cost of this service was in each year; and in how many cases osteoporosis was diagnosed. [147309]
§ Yvette CooperThe United Kingdom National Screening Committee (NSC) advises Ministers, the devolved national Assemblies and the Scottish Parliament on all aspects of screening policy.
The NSC considered the subject of osteoporosis screening in June 1999. The committee's recommendation is that population-based screening should not be offered. There is not a simple, reliable test for osteoporosis that would meet the NSC's published criteria to ensure that a screening programme is both clinically and cost effective. The NSC's criteria are available on its website at http://www.nsc.nhs.uk/
The information requested on the number of bone scans is not available centrally.