MP calls for Thalidomide grant to stay

MINISTERS have come under pressure to commit to the future of a grant which has helped victims of the Thalidomide scandal.

In a debate yesterday, Kilmarnock and Loudoun Labour MP Cathy Jamieson urged ministers not to ditch the under-threat health grant scheme, which gives victims of one of the worst medical scandals since the Second World War an average of £17,000 a year.

Ms Jamieson highlighted the daily challenges that claimants face, and the advantages the health grant pilot has brought in enabling them to manage their own health requirements.

Between 1958 and 1962, Thalidomide was given to thousands of pregnant women in the UK as a simple solution to relieve morning sickness, causing thousands of babies to be born with a range of physical disabilities and medical conditions.

The health grant pilot was widely welcomed by those affected and the Thalidomide Trust when it commenced in 2010. However, there are increasing concerns at the Government’s refusal to commit to its long-term future.

Ms Jamieson said: “Unable to plan ahead, many Thalidomiders are worried that, in one sufferer’s words, they ‘will be abandoned again’.”