MSP demands Nats publish figures

THE SCOTTISH Government is facing demands to publish cancer data for the country's most deprived communities amid fears of a growing health divide.

- BY JOHN FERGUSON

It comes after shocking statistics last week showed overall cases of the disease reaching a record high while a key waiting time target has not been met for well over a decade.

There were 37,202 new cancers diagnosed in 2023, figures from Public Health Scotland (PHS) revealed with 18,769 men and 18,433 women diagnosed with the disease over the course of the year.

However, the government has not released an official breakdown comparing the number of people affected in the richest and poorest areas.