A formal consultation process is now underway on a new bill designed to re-claim the medical costs of treating people suffering from asbestos related diseases. The bill is backed by Clydeside Action on Asbestos and is being taken forward as a member’s bill at Holyrood by MSP Stuart McMillan.
The Recovery of Medical Costs for Asbestos Diseases (Scotland) Bill will allow the NHS to claw back the enormous costs associated with caring for people who contracted industrial diseases like mesothelioma, which is caused by exposure to asbestos.
Clydeside Action on Asbestos estimate that over 20 million pounds a year is spent by NHS Scotland diagnosing and treating people suffering from the horrendous effects of asbestos exposure. This bill will enable the NHS to re-coup those costs from insurance companies who have already settled civil claims with victims. The costs of treatment will be calculated from a patient’s initial diagnosis.
“Today is a very important milestone in our efforts to get this law on the statute books but also in the wider fight against the awful effects that asbestos disease causes to thousands of Scots,” explained Phyllis Craig MBE, Chair of Clydeside Action on Asbestos. “We are urging Civic Scotland and wider society to engage with our consultation to make clear their views.”
“It is widely accepted that the number of people being diagnosed with asbestos conditions is increasing, placing an ever greater burden on the NHS and palliative care services,” she added. “The responsibility for meeting these costs rests with the employers who exposed their staff to asbestos. It is only just that the employers and their insurers have to meet the costs of care that result from their negligence.”
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