Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:51 pm on 28 September 2022.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I would like to thank my colleague, Russ George MS, for introducing this important debate, and those across the Chamber for their really important contributions in what is a hugely important issue for women. Cancer of any type is an awful affliction that already takes far too many lives, with Public Health Wales noting that cancer has become the main cause of mortality since 2016, even including the shocking times that we went through with the COVID-19 pandemic.
As other colleagues have already noted, approximately 12,000 women are diagnosed with gynaecological cancer every year in Wales, resulting in the tragic deaths of 470 people annually. And that's why it was an important point that you made, James, that these are people's mothers, sisters, daughters or other relatives—470 families a year whose lives are irreparably damaged by this awful, awful disease. Gynaecological cancer, of course, is a massive problem right across the UK, but I'm afraid that it is worse here in Wales. Russ George highlighted the concerns—[Interruption.]