Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:27 pm on 6 March 2019.
Diolch, Diprwy Lywydd. First of all, can I thank all the Members who have made a contribution to this debate? And if I can just go through a few points that some of them have made, Mark Isherwood pointed out the superior outcomes with mpMRI scans over normal MRI scans, and he said that there was a lack of data being provided by health boards, particularly in north Wales.
Rhun ap Iorwerth pointed out the necessity of recognising cancer—as we all understand—as early as possible and many of the alternative tests to mpMRI are very inferior to the mpMRI scan itself. And he posed the question: why are the tests not routinely available?
Caroline Jones gave personal evidence of the impact of the other invasive forms of testing for prostate cancer and the effects that it could have on a family. And she pointed out the differences and inconsistencies between areas in Wales, where one type of test is available and another is not.
David Melding again questioned why we are not using state-of-the-art diagnosis wherever and whenever in Wales. And he asked about the methods and also questioned the disparity within regions.
If I can come to the Minister and his acknowledgement of what's been going on, first of all, he did acknowledge the impact of prostate cancer, which we all understand. For men of my own age, it's one of those terrors that we face, I suppose, on a daily basis—that it could happen to just about any one of us. He also agreed that mpMRI is less invasive and, I think he acknowledged as well, is a superior way to biopsy. He talked of testing and creating a database that would confirm the effectiveness of new procedures, and we can all understand that that is the case, however I do believe that there is enough evidence out there to show that mpMRI is a far superior way of making a decision as to whether someone has prostate cancer, and I would urge the Minister to make sure that all our local health authorities do, as soon as possible, use mpMRI in their procedures. I do recognise that there is a problem with teaching up people to be able to properly use the diagnosis that the mpMRI may give, and that is a problem, and there may well be a delay in getting those people trained up and in place.
So, can I thank again Members for their contributions to the debate and to the petitioner, again, for bringing the petition forward? It remains for me to thank Stuart Davies and those who signed this petition for bringing this issue to the Assembly through the petitions process, and the Petitions Committee will consider the petition again in the light of contributions made during this afternoon's debate and, of course, the Minister's response to it. Diolch.