Cancer sufferers deserve better than long wait

3.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 25th May 2005

Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly leader Mike German has asked the Health Minister to ensure that cancer sufferers do not have to wait until 2009 for the NHS in Wales to meet agreed National Cancer Standards.

At question time today he challenged the minister about the four year gap between the standards and the target date for full compliance set out in the Minister's ten year health strategy.

Mr German said: "The Minister's new strategy, Designed for Life, states quite clearly that the target to comply with 2005 National Cancer Standards is March 2009. Even by the standards of waiting we have come to expect from the Labour Assembly Government this seems an unnecessarily lengthy delay.

"The minister should play it straight with the welsh people and rename his 2005 cancer standards the 2009 standards given the length of time it will take to introduce them.

"These standards exist now. There is no excuse for making patients wait four years before they can feel the full benefits. The minister should make this a priority."