Remember this story? A young pregnant woman, suffering from swine flu, had to be flown to Sweden for a treatment known as ECMO (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation).
It appears the young woman is recovering and is now back home awaiting the birth of her baby.
Sharon Pentleton, from North Ayrshire, had to be flown to Sweden because no beds were available in Leicester, the only unit in the UK which provides the procedure. The idea is that the machine takes over the job of the lungs, giving them time to recover. Each treatment costs £80,000 for an adult and £50,000 for a child with much of the cost coming from the highly-trained team of around 15 nurses who are required to operate the machine.
There are already ECMO beds available in Scotland for children at Yorkhill Hospital, Glasgow but none for adults and now Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to ensure adult treatment will be provided in Scotland. It is not a treatment appropriate for most people but it can be of benefit to some patients and the Health Secretary is determined we have the ability to increase the provision.
How many beds and where they are to be sited is still under consideration.
Once again Ms Sturgeon shows decisive leadership and the desire to improve the facilities we have in our NHS. Long may she continue to do so. If only she could improve on the waiting time for suspected cancer patients. In Europe those thought to have cancer are seen by a specialist within days and we need this to happen here. It could well do if Ms Sturgeon is in charge.
Source: Sunday Post
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3 comments:
Bravo to Nicola. Although it says a great deal for the co-operation between Scotland and Sweden that this lady was able to be treated there, it is shameful that 21st century Scotland has to send sick people overseas to give them a chance of life.
Nicola Sturgeon is a fantastic Cabinet Secretary for Health, as well as being a superb Deputy First Minister.
I bet Brpown wishes he had someone half as competent as her for his deputy. (I mean his real deputy, not the de facto one, who it pains me to say, is very clever and competent.)
It would be better if they gave UV treatment for the flu and if she knew about the saving thing about Vitamin D
She knows about VitD Henry. I've been in touch with her about it.
We're maybe slightly more ahead of the game up here concerning the flu as we've had more cases than England.
Also we have a health secretary who is right on the ball and has a professional team.
None o' yer call centres staff by uninformed folk here I can tell ye!
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