WORLD COPD DAY

Motion Text

That this House calls attention to World COPD Day 2002 as a means of increasing awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; recognises the COPD is the UK's sixth leading cause of death, killing 27,000 people last year and an estimated 2.75 million people world-wide, and that it is reaching epidemic proportions; congratulates the British Lung Foundation and its voluntary local support network of Breathe Easy groups for the work that they have done in launching the European Patient Manifesto which outlines the rights of patients with COPD; and calls on the Government to work with healthcare professionals and patient organisations to reduce COPD-related deaths and disability in the same way that other major world killer diseases have declined because of earlier diagnosis and treatment.