Treatment access fund welcomed
An £80m treatment fund, welcomed by BMA Cymru Wales, has been launched.
A total of £12m has been released to health boards with immediate effect, to speed up access to medicines recommended by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) and AWMSG (All Wales Medicines Strategy Group).
A further £4m will be made available later this year, with £16m a year available over the term of the current Welsh Government.
Welsh health Secretary Vaughan Gething AM said: 'We remain committed to an evidence-based approach to the introduction of new medicines based upon the expert and authoritative advice of NICE and AWMSG.
'Many of these innovative medicines will provide a significant step forward in the treatment of diseases where there has been either, at best, limited treatment options or in the worst case scenario, no treatment options other than symptom alleviation.
'We expect all patients, for whom access to a new recommended medicine is appropriate, to be able to access the treatment as quickly as possible and within two months.'
BMA Cymru Wales welcomed the fund when it was first announced last year and described its evidence-based approach as sensible.
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