Jim Shannon, Democratic Unionist MP for Strangford, tabled a written question that asked the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people in each age group who have suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome in each of the last five years.
In a written answer supplied on 25 March 2015, Liberal Democrat Minister of State of Health Norman Lamb, replied:
No assessment has been made of the number of people in each age group who have suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome in each of the last five years. With the exception of cancer, there is no comprehensive central record of disease diagnosis for any condition. In 2007 The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence produced the clinical guidance ‘Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children’, which estimates that the annual prevalence is approximately 4,000 cases per million of the population.
With such a lame response from Norman Lamb and being a Health Minister too, is this reaction to a serious health issue, what we can expect from a future Liberal Democrat government?
The Lib Dem’s need to step up to the mark, where ME is concerned if they want to continue to get votes and that of many friends who are seriously ill.
There are lots of floating voters at the moment and here’s where 250,000 plus could be influenced, along with the crisis in the NHS.
We know the NICE Guidelines are not fit for purpose, so please Mr Lamb, lets have a better answer?