A Scottish asthma charity is calling for urgent Government action to stop avoidable asthma deaths.
Asthma and Allergy Foundation, Scotland’s only dedicated asthma charity, said that alarming rates of asthma deaths, with over 12,000 adults and children whose lives have been snatched by the cold hands of asthma attack the past ten years, leaving families torn apart by grief and our society deprived of the meaningful impact these lives could have contributed.
Ten years on from the National Review of Asthma Death Report, there has been little change from the 2014 report which stated that two thirds of the asthma deaths could have been prevented with improved asthma care.
Around 5.4 million people are living with asthma in the UK- 368,000 in Scotland and about 35,000 in the Grampian region. A life-limiting and life-threatening lung condition which causes breathing difficulties and accounts for the second main cause of emergency hospital admissions in Scotland, with a child being admitted to hospital with an asthma attack every 20 minutes.
The leading asthma charity, which focuses on the place of patient education in the management of asthma and provides evidence-based health information, confidential advice and practical support to adults and children with asthma, their families and carers said there is an ever-increasing demand for their asthma workshops as asthma patients are finding it difficult to access the care they need and deserve.
People with asthma should be supported to manage their condition but many asthma sufferers said they have been failed by the very people who should prioritise their healthcare needs as majority of asthma sufferers feel they are not receiving the care they need as healthcare providers are over-stretched. This is putting many asthma sufferers at high risk as every asthma sufferer should be given adequate information to help them self-manage of their condition, recognise worsening asthma symptoms and to seek timely help. Each asthma sufferer should also have a personalised Asthma Action Plan, attend annual review, ensure they are shown proper inhaler technique.
Martina Chukwuma-Ezike, CEO of Asthma and Allergy Foundation said: “The above figures clearly show that we cannot continue to ignore the problem. Each of these deaths represent a massive waste of human potential and families and communities ripped apart. At least half of these deaths could have been prevented with the right care, proper information, advise and support”.
Elaine Cunningham, mother of Lauren Reid, a 19-year-old chef from Glasgow who died of an asthma attack at work in February 2020, said "I don’t want any other parent to feel the way I do, the Government should do more”.
“Today we are calling on the UK and Scottish Government to do much more to prevent avoidable asthma deaths, people with asthma not just want to live, they want to thrive, and we can help, we have a suite of solutions to help address the problem. The death of one person with asthma is one too many, let us not wait another ten years”.