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£100m hi-tech medical fund 'to make NHS world leader'

Ben Russell,Political Correspondent
Thursday 04 October 2007 00:00 BST
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A £100m fund to develop hi-tech diagnostic aides will be launched today as part of a far-reaching report aimed at creating a new generation of personalised heath services.

Lord Darzi, the cancer specialist brought in as a health minister by Gordon Brown, will publish an interim report on the future of the NHS, pledging to make the health service "as good or better" than any health service in the world. The publication of the report has been brought forward several weeks, fuelling speculation that it is part of a co-ordinated series of announcements leading up to a possible November general election.

Gordon Brown has identified the NHS as a top priority for his administration, while the Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, has pledged to close the health gap between rich and poor areas of Britain.

Lord Darzi's report will highlight developments such as new cancer drugs and metal "stents" that are used during surgery to keep arteries open. It will establish a new Health Innovation Council to develop hi-tech treatment and diagnostic systems.

The report is likely to build on Lord Darzi's recommendations for NHS reform in London, where he proposed a network of "polyclinics".

The peer said: "I want to see the UK become a world leader in pharmaceutical and medical technology research and development, so NHS patients have access to the best innovative treatments and services."

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