STI funding must tackle disease not debt

12.31.38am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 5th Jul 2006

Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Minister, Sandra Gidley MP

Commenting on the publication of Health Protection Agency statistics which reveal that diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections rose by 3% from 2004 to 2005, with the biggest rise of 23% seen in syphilis cases, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Minister, Sandra Gidley MP said, "The rise in sexually transmitted infections is a direct result of the Government's failure to make delivery of sexual health services a priority. The full picture is that new cases of STIs rose by 20% between 2000 and 2004.

"£300 million is now available to the NHS to spend on frontline sexual health services. This funding should be ring fenced and not spent on paying off NHS debts. Infections are bound to spread if people are not treated quickly. To save money and lives the Government must ensure that the money is being spent on tackling disease rather than tackling debt."