An MP has accused the NHS of ‘abandoning’ his sister who has brain cancer in an emotional speech to parliament.
Labour’s Siobhain McDonagh fought back tears as he recalled the experiences of Margaret McDonagh, 61, a former Labor general secretary who sits in the House of Lords as Baroness McDonagh.
The Mitcham and Morden MP has criticized the lack of progress on brain cancer treatment since 2005 in the NHS.
She explained that her sister was undergoing treatment which involved a monthly four-day trip to Dusseldorf, Germany.
Ms McDonagh told the Commons: ‘The numbers the NHS is now dropping and dropping to international travel, the lucky ones who can get the funds to do so, is nothing short of a complete and utter national scandal.
“I wonder what my mother, who came here in 1947 to train the first generation of Irish nurses, would say about the NHS abandoning her daughter. »
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Labor MP Siobhain McDonagh addresses the House of Commons
(PENNSYLVANIA)
Ms McDonagh explained earlier that her sister collapsed in front of her and had a series of seizures in November 2021, adding that she was later diagnosed with glioblastoma – the most aggressive and deadly form of brain tumor .
The tumors were then removed and Ms McDonagh praised Dr Paul Mulholland, of University College London (UCL) Hospitals, for being ‘why Margaret is still alive’.
Ms McDonagh said her sister could not take the treatment available at the start of 2022 because it “would have killed her”, noting that there are “no trials and nowhere to go” in this country.
As she explained the trips to Germany, Ms McDonagh said: ‘It may seem like an easy thing to do, but I have to say that taking a seriously ill person on a plane to a hotel with no access to healthcare and emergency services would be a foolhardy thing to do unless there was nothing else in this country – and there was and there is nothing.
She noted that there were times ‘when I thought I couldn’t get her on the plane’ given her sister was ‘so sick’, explaining, ‘There was one night when I was I stayed and looked at her because I didn’t think she was going to make it through the night and how could I explain that to anyone? »
In June last year Lady McDonagh had a CT scan and the tumors could not be seen and people sought help from Dr Mulholland given his experiences, MPs heard.
Ms McDonagh said the experiences of others may be different in the future, telling Health Minister Will Quince: ‘Please don’t give any more money to the NHS, don’t give any more money to organizations cancer research charities until they guarantee you that at least Every year 200 people with cancer have access to a trial, that’s 1,000 patients in a lifetime (from the government).
“With these trials, we can begin to understand what works and what doesn’t.
“And don’t give NHS trainers money until they make a commitment to you that every young doctor training to become a medical oncologist will have to take a brain tumor course. At the moment, there is no mandatory training.
Ms McDonagh said such measures would improve young doctors’ chances of specializing.
In conclusion, she said, “When I go to bed tonight, I’ll keep my ears open for Margaret, to hear her call my name, and I’ll get up and go to her room and she might just be asleep because that I imagined she was calling me.
“And I accept that. It is my duty. This is what I learned from my family, what I learned from my faith and what I learned from my politics.
“I accept my responsibility. All I want is for the NHS, cancer research charities, pharmaceutical companies to stand up and accept their responsibility and give some hope to the 3,200 people who will be diagnosed with glioblastoma this year .
Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans said: “It’s a very brave speech, Siobhain, and please send our love of parliament to Margaret. »
Closing the debate, Mr Quince told Ms McDonagh: ‘I am so sorry to hear about his experience, which must have been very difficult to share.
“She gave an update on cancer diagnosis and treatment, and we’ve come so far, but I know and recognize that it’s not universal for all types of cancer and we have a lot more to do. »
On clinical trials and “the need to travel overseas”, he said: “We can’t do them all here in the UK. Sometimes I wish we could. This is a global competition, but I want to personally assure him that clinical trials are a priority for me.
“I want to make sure our UK has the best environment for clinical trials. »
