A Scots baby loss charity is under threat of closure because it can no longer pay its bills. SiMBA is a lifeline to bereaved families who have lost babies but the charity is being hit by spiralling costs.
07.01.2023 - 04:39 / dailyrecord.co.uk
More than 1,100 babies have been born dependent on substances in the last five years, leading to calls for world-leading alcohol and drug services in Scotland.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats have urged the Scottish Government to invest in supporting babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). The condition means the children show signs of drug addiction because of their mother's misuse of legal or illegal substances during pregnancy.
Figures obtained by the party through freedom of information legislation reveal 1,123 babies have been born with the condition in Scotland since 2017. A total of 147 such births have been recorded in 2022/23 to date, down from 209 in 2021/22, while 161 were recorded in 2020/21, 164 in 2019/20, 199 in 2018/19 and 243 in 2017/18.
NHS Lothian recorded the most cases of NAS over the five years with 609, followed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde with 183, and NHS Grampian with 156. Symptoms of NAS, caused by blood passing from the mother to her foetus during pregnancy, include uncontrollable trembling, hyperactivity, blotchy skin and high-pitch crying.
Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said ministers must take more action after the Scottish Drug Death Taskforce's report noted funding to be "woefully inadequate" in the area. Mr Cole-Hamilton said: "These figures are utterly heart-breaking. There is perhaps no worse possible start in life for a newborn baby.
"[Last] year, independent experts described the Government's current funding for drugs and alcohol as woefully inadequate for this level of public emergency. Years of underfunding saw vulnerable local facilities shut their doors and critical expertise lost.
"Nicola Sturgeon has admitted her Government wasn't paying attention while
A Scots baby loss charity is under threat of closure because it can no longer pay its bills. SiMBA is a lifeline to bereaved families who have lost babies but the charity is being hit by spiralling costs.
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