SUFFOLK: A pledge to support muscle disease patients and help secure better health services has been made by one of the county’s new MPs.

Dr Dan Poulter, Tory MP for Suffolk Central & Ipswich North, has promised to do all he can to help constituents achieve better healthcare.

In East Anglia, the main issues facing muscle disease patients are a lack of information and support at diagnosis, no physiotherapy, services for child sufferers withdrawn at adulthood, difficulty in accessing services such as hydrotherapy pools and equipment such as wheelchairs.

Dr Poulter will become a link for local patients and families in raising awareness of muscle wasting conditions and putting pressure on the NHS to improve services.

He said: “I made the commitment to support muscle disease patients and their families if I was elected because I believe they need, and deserve, much better healthcare.

“I’m keen to take up the challenge of helping sufferers fight for better care and services and I hope I can be of use in the campaigning work they do.”

Nic Bungay, head of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s head of policy, said: “We are grateful for Dr Poulter’s support in our fight for better muscle disease services in the East of England,,

“It will lend real weight to our campaign.”

n Do you suffer from muscle disease and what do you think of Dr Poulter’s pledge? Write to Your Letters, The Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk