19th Aug ‘08 - MP Calls For Cancer Tsar in Wales
Posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 4:29pmA Conservative MP has called for Wales to appoint a cancer tsar after it was revealed rates of the disease in the country are 22 per cent higher than in other parts of the UK, WalesOnline has reported.
Shadow health minister Jonathan Morgan has criticised the Welsh Assembly's record on treating the critical illness.
He said: "It is a disgrace that Wales has no formal policy plan on tackling cancer. We cannot afford to let ourselves fall further behind the rest of the UK."
Wales has the highest death rates for cervical, breast and prostate cancer in the UK, according to figures from Health Statistics Wales.
Each year, approximately 16,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the country.
However, a spokesperson from the Welsh Assembly dismissed claims that leaders in the country were not taking the issue seriously as "nonsense".
Critical illness cover provides a tax-free lump sum if you are diagnosed with a serious illness, so that you do not have to worry about financial matters should the worst happen.
