2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:48 pm on 22 October 2019.

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Photo of Nick Ramsay Nick Ramsay Conservative 2:48, 22 October 2019

Trefnydd, I recently hosted a charity quiz night—one of my other hats—to raise funds for research into ovarian cancer in Wales. This came about after a constituent case, a constituent whose wife died on the very day she was supposed to start treatment for cancer. She was already at stage 4, due to repeated misdiagnosis earlier on in the stages of cancer, over many months. I had a meeting with my constituent with my colleague Angela Burns as well. She was misdiagnosed at various times with irritable bowel syndrome, other conditions. The point my constituent made was that this is a notoriously difficult cancer to diagnose—one of the most difficult, I think, because it masquerades as many other different conditions earlier on in the cycle. My constituent is calling for more research, more investment, into better ways of diagnosing this, so I wonder if we could have a statement from the Welsh Government on efforts being made by the Welsh Government, with the NHS, to try and improve diagnosis of ovarian cancer. And also could you tell us what support you're giving both to sufferers from this condition and also the families, because it is a very cruel disease that takes people away, often at a young age and with very little warning, actually, certainly in this case. My heart certainly went out to this constituent. So, I wonder if we could have an update from the Government on what can be done in this area.