CEP: If Jade Goody had been Scottish, Welsh or Irish and not English she might not be dying now

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Tuesday, 03, Mar 2009 12:00

Mr. J. Stanhope, member of the National Council of the Campaign for an English Parliament, speaking to its West Midlands members on Monday said that the tragedy of Jade Goody highlighted how the effects of devolution are tearing the United Kingdom apart, contrary to British claims that devolution is working. What was once a truly British National Health Service that served equally each of the four nations, has since devolution turned patient care into a post code lottery that depends on your county of residence, and is now four separate health services, with an English one that could be heading down the road to privatisation.

Referring to the tragic case of Jane Goody Mr Stanhope said that every young person between the ages of 20 and 25 living in England should be aware that their lives are not as important to the British establishment as those lives of the young people of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath the Prime Ministers constituency, or of the rest of those young people living in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Quoting Mr. Angharad Mair from Wales on Sunday, he said that if Jade Goody now 27 had lived in Wales she might not be dying now, and who knows how many young women are still alive because they were lucky enough to live in those countries.

In England you do not get invited for a cervical smear test until you are 25 – and by then it’s too late for any girl unfortunate enough to be suffering from cervical cancer at a younger age - as Jade is. In Wales the age of screening is 20 – as it is in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Older women again do better in Wales with screenings every 3 years until the age of 65, while in England women are only screened every 3 years until the age of 49.

In Monday mornings ‘Sun’ newspaper, Prof Mike Richards, National Cancer Director, said they didn’t think screening of English women under the age of 25 was in the women’s best interests and had nothing to do with money? If it is in the young people’s interest in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, what’s so different about the young people of England, asked Mr. Stanhope.

‘The young people of England,’ said Mr Stanhope, ‘should also be aware of the sudden cardiac death syndrome which is claiming many fit and active young lives, especially young men, who are 10 times more vulnerable than women. If you live in Scotland then every youngster over 16 taking part in organised sport will be given the chance of being screened for cardiac abnormalities, initially, youngsters taking part in football and rugby will be screened during a trial period with screening eventually rolled out across other sports. Not in England though.’ Sudden cardiac death is thought to affect around one person in 200,000.

Contact

Mr. Stanhope West Midlands CEP

Tel: 01902 630110