The All Party Parliamentary Group - APPG
for
FIBROMYALGIA
15 March 2001
The 13th
March saw the launch of the All Party Group for Fibromyalgia (APPG) at Portcullis House, Westminster, England.
The meeting was chaired by Dr Nick Palmer MP for Broxtowe in Nottingham, who is the co-ordinator and Secretary for the All Party Group. The officers are the Countess of Mar, House of Lords (Chairman). Martin Salter MP for Reading West and Oliver Letwin MP for Dorset West (Vice Chairmen) and Liz Blackman MP for Erewash, Nottinghamshire (Treasurer). A full list of MPs who have joined the Group or pledged their support will be available shortly.
Nick Palmer opened the meeting by stating that the two main objectives of the APPG were to raise awareness amongst MPs, GPs, specialist doctors and consultants and other healthcare workers. The second aim is to raise funds for high quality research in this country.
Yvette Cooper, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Public Health, and MP for Pontefract and Castleford gave us 40 minutes of her time and took questions from the floor. She pledged her total support for the APPG. She was extremely willing to listen to the voices of people with Fibromyalgia and suggested we put together an Agenda focusing on our main aims.
This was certainly a RED LETTER day for the cause of Fibromyalgia in England and will go a long way to increasing the credibility of the illness.
Anne Crashley
APPG Co-ordinator
Nottingham, England.
With thanks to the Nottingham and East Midlands Fibromyalgia Support group.
