SDLP Foyle MP Mark Durkan has welcomed British Prime Minister David Cameron’s announcement at the weekend that more than £300m is to be spent by the government on research into dementia.
Mark Durkan
Mr Durkan, who has campaigned both at home and in Westminster in support of the 15,000 people in Northern Ireland affected by dementia, said:
“I welcome David Cameron’s commitment to provide significant funding in the fight to defeat dementia.
“I am also pleased to see the launch of a separate multi-million pound fund to help establish an international investment scheme to discover new drugs and treatments that could slow the onset of dementia, or even deliver a cure, by 2025.
“One in three people over 65 will develop dementia – and therefore this is a health issue that we can no longer afford to ignore.
“As well as backing Alzheimer Research UK’s global call for action to defeat dementia, I supported last year’s ‘Memory Walk’ in Derry in aid of the Alzheimer Society’s ‘Fighting Dementia Together’ campaign.
“I have also supported the Alzheimer Society’s ‘Dementia Friends’ campaign which aims to help people with the condition play a fuller role in their communities.
“Importantly, we need to see additional support for people with dementia and improved diagnosis rates not only here in Derry but throughout the North.”
Tags: