Smith celebrates retention of cancer services at Sick Kids

4/3/08

Margaret Smith MSP was today celebrating the news that acute cancer services are to be retained at the Sick Kids hospital.

The announcement that cancer services, which include brain tumour treatment, academic training, expert diagnosis and clinical trials of new drugs, are to be retained has cemented the Sick Kids position as one of the worlds leading children’s hospital

Commenting, Mrs Smith said:

“This was the news that everyone in Edinburgh had been waiting for.  Any move had the potential to really damage Scotland’s paediatric care services, so it was vital that the Government listened to medical opinion and decided against centralisation.

“The Sick Kids is an Edinburgh institution with a track record of providing an excellent service to the community so I’m delighted that the right decision has been made. I would like to thank everyone who has supported our web campaign and the Edinburgh Evening News petition. The public response to the uncertainty surrounding the Sick Kids was unprecedented and stands as a testament to the excellent service provided by its hard working staff.”