UK 'failing ms sufferers'

UK PATIENTS with multiple sclerosis fare worse than those in most other countries in western Europe, campaigners claim.

The MS Society said the UK ranked worst among western European nations for access to drugs, while it scored the third worst for the number of neurologists.

They said there was just one MS specialist nurse for every 454 people, while the condition remained largely misunderstood even among some members of the medical community.

Sue Polson, a patient with MS from Dunfermline, said she no longer had access to a specialist physiotherapist.

"One of the greatest helps to an MS patient is a physiotherapist," she said.

The warnings come as the MS Society launches a register to record details of people with the condition across the UK.

Belinda Weller, a neurologist in Edinburgh, said: "We have been in the dark for far too long.

"The MS Register has the potential to revolutionise patient care for MS."