[garinda]

Minister of Health Patricia Hewitt admitted on a recent Panorama programme, that like Lettie said, urgent funding for STD clinics has been delayed because the clinics can't cope with the numbers of people already using them, and fear even more over stretching of an already under funded sector of the health service.

The programme makers called every STD clinic in the country, and the earliest appointment was in a month, the latest was in eleven weeks. In the meantime these people, who obviously had fears something was wrong, could be infecting other people, including spouses and partners.

All this could be lessened by by a mass education programme, about how people should be protecting themselves. I recently complained about a glossy magazine that was delivered through my letter box, it was filled with statistics about the local NHS.

I know where I would much rather that money be spent, health education.