Part of 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:33 pm on 17 October 2018.
It is regrettable, Cabinet Secretary, that you haven't had direct conversations with them, although you do point out that you had some discussion about their responsibilities. In other parts of the United Kingdom, this drug is available for cystic fibrosis sufferers and, regrettably, it's not available here in Wales, as I understand it. Why has there been so little progress in making that drug available here in Wales? As I understand it, other health departments have come to arrangements with the pharmaceutical company to make it available. Will you commit to working with the pharmaceutical company to make this drug available here in Wales, because the benefits have been proven and are clear to cystic fibrosis sufferers? Sadly, cystic fibrosis is a condition that is lifelong— it's not something that comes to you as you progress through life—and, so, therefore, the better the treatment we can offer, the longer the life, and the quality of life is improved for the individual. So, I'm asking you: please will you commit, as the Minister and the department, to engage positively to make this drug available here in Wales?