Jul32017

Poverty report exposes SNP’s neglect of colleges

Scottish Conservatives
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3 Jul 2017

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The SNP’s attitude to college education has been criticised in a comprehensive report about poverty in Scotland.

Poverty and inequality adviser Naomi Eisenstadt produced the document examining the causes and impact of deprivation north of the border.

It said the “social class gradient is deeply worrying” and life outcomes are too heavily based on the wealth and social class of someone’s parents.

She also said the colleges had been over-exposed to funding cuts, adding:

“The overall picture suggests that the university sector has had greater protection from hard financial times than the further education and the college sector.”

The Scottish Conservatives have repeatedly attacked the SNP’s record on colleges.

Last month, it emerged the number of people studying at college in Scotland had fallen to a decade low, while the number of part-time students had dropped by 18 per cent.

Scottish Conservative equalities spokeswoman Annie Wells said:

“Education is such a key route in getting people out of a cycle of poverty.

“Yet now we see that SNP policies on free tuition are actually hindering that for many.

“They have led to colleges getting squeezed, even though they are so vital in delivering people the skills and education they need to make a difference for them and their families.

“This is why the Scottish Government must face up to the reality of its universal free tuition, and realise the damage it is doing to those who need help the most.

“The report also makes it abundantly clear that the gap between rich and poor in Scotland remains far too wide.

“This is the cost of having an SNP government which has completely ignored the needs of those who are worst-off in pursuit of its own constitutional goals.

“It’s more apparent in Nicola Sturgeon’s constituency than anywhere else in Scotland just how desperate life can be in our deprived areas.

“These findings should be a wake-up call for a complacent Scottish Government.”

To see the full report, visit: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0052/00522051.pdf

Jul32017

News story: Maloff Protect successfully reclassified

HM Government

Maloff Protect anti-malaria tablets are now available to buy from pharmacies, after previously only being available to purchase with a prescription.

The news follows a successful public consultation, where members of the public were asked to contribute their say on the availability of the product.

The tablets will be available to adults aged over 18 weighing more than 40kg travelling to areas where malaria is widespread.

Patients must tell their pharmacist which countries they will be visiting: it is essential that to take an antimalarial that will be effective in those areas. You will need to start the tablets before arriving in a malaria-endemic area and to continue taking them for 7 days after leaving.

A final decision was made by MHRA, on behalf of the UK Licensing Authority, after responses from the public consultation were analysed.

Following a stringent assessment procedure, The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) recommended reclassifying the tablets for those travelling in areas where malaria is common.

MHRA always want to encourage people to be involved in their healthcare and are in the process of holding public consultations for conditions that are suitable for self-care.

Maloff Protect was one of a number of medicines currently being considered for reclassification as an over the counter medicine, to help widen access to medicines for the benefit of public health when it is safe to do.