Thalidomide survivors living in Scotland are to receive lifelong financial support from the Scottish Government.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said he hoped the “lifelong commitment” would provide reassurance to those affected.
There are currently 50 known survivors of the drug in Scotland, most of whom are now in their 60s.
They are among the thousands of babies born with birth defects after their mothers took thalidomide while pregnant, with the drug being commonly used to treat morning sickness from 1958 to 1961.
READ MORE: From traumatic injury to new lease of life - meet the inspirational woman fighting back
In 2013 the Scottish Government committed £14.2 million to help survivors over a 10-year period, with the money going to help with health and living costs.
Ministers have now extended that agreement, with grants to be allocated to survivors on a needs basis, as assessed by the Thalidomide Trust.
Mr Yousaf said: “This funding is used to give thalidomide survivors as much assistance as they need to maintain their independence. It has been a vital support in helping people adapt their homes and manage their pain.
“I hope this lifelong commitment to continue this support will reassure recipients and help them deal with any challenges they face.”
Jean, 61, who was born with damage to all four of her limbs as a result of thalidomide, described the announcement as “great news”.
She said: “The Health Grant from the Scottish Government has really helped me over the years – my kitchen, for example, is now completely accessible from my wheelchair and I have been able to build a little gym in the garden which has helped me so much in terms of my physical strength, fitness and my mental health.
“Due to thalidomide, I live with chronic pain and if I don’t move around my body would stiffen and seize up.
“The grant also allows me to pay for a personal trainer who understands my disabilities and can keep me fit and flexible, without causing further damage.
“Knowing this funding is going to continue indefinitely has given me, and many other Thalidomiders living in Scotland, such peace of mind.”
Deborah Jack, executive director of the Thalidomide Trust, said that the funding announcement was “fantastic and very welcome news”.
She added: “Sadly, as our beneficiaries age they are experiencing multiple health problems, in addition to their original thalidomide damage, and the costs of meeting their complex needs are significant.
“Many of them have been really anxious about the prospect of this much-needed funding coming to an end.
“We are really pleased that the Scottish Government has recognised this by committing to lifetime financial support and also agreeing to review the level of funding regularly to ensure it is meeting their changing needs.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here