We received a petition asking:
“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to help bring awareness of the suffering of over 250,000 people in the UK who have CFS/ME.”
Details of Petition:
“At present the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue syndrome & Myalgic encephalomyelitis (which affects around 250,000 people in the UK) can take a minimum of three years. This is due to the fact that Health care professionals do not have a definitive method of diagnosis and at present this occurs through a process of elimination whereby other similar diseases are tested first and if the sufferer does not have these is then deemed that they have CFS or ME. We the undersigned are therefore petitioning the Prime Minister to raise awareness and funding for research into a clear method of diagnosis.”
· Read the petition
· Petitions homepage
Read the Government’s response
The Government recognises CFS/ME as a debilitating and distressing condition. CFS/ME is a chronic illness and health and social care professionals should manage it as such.
Neither the Department’s National Institute for Health Research nor the Medical Research Council (MRC) ring-fences funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. Both organisations welcome applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made.
As far as current UK research into CFS/ME is concerned, the bulk of the publicly funded work is being undertaken with funding from the MRC. The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant-in-aid from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
CFS/ME is a strategic priority area for funding and the MRC remains committed to supporting scientific research into all aspects of CFS/ME including evaluations of treatments and studies into the biological basis of the condition. The MRC does not have set budgets for specific illnesses, so support of the existing MRC CFS/ME studies does not mean that money is not available for other proposals that meet the scientific standards set by the peer review process.
The MRC is aware that CFS/ME is a complicated condition and has recently set up a panel of experts from different disciplines to look more closely at the area. The Panel will come from varied fields including neuroscience, immunology, toxicology, imaging, psychology and psychiatry and will involve other interested parties and focus on the subtypes and causes of CFS/ME.
As a strategic priority area for the MRC, the Council continues to promote research in this area and encourages applications for funding. Research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. While research excellence continues to be the primary consideration in funding decisions, and the MRC does not as a rule earmark funds (nor does it commission research) for particular topics, when appropriate, high quality research in the areas the Council is promoting may be given priority in competition for funds.
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