Scotland tackles "unmet" surgery, screening needs:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Scotland has announced plans to increase access to key areas of healthcare in the most deprived communities. Low breast screening uptake rates and an "unmet need" for coronary artery bypass grafts and angioplasty are among the priorities of a programme to be piloted in three NHS boards areas. £15m ($28.5m) is to be spent over the next two years to assess how to increase access. NHS Greater Glasgow will receive most of the funding: £4m in 2004-05 and £8m in 2005-06. "Heart surgery rates are lower than should be expected from the high incidence of coronary heart disease," said the Scottish Executive. Breast screening uptake is also significantly lower in deprived areas than in more affluent ones.