Middleton MP Jim Dobbin has called for the passage of legislation to help prevent “Sudden Cardiac Death”, which currently claims the lives of up to eight apparently healthy young people every week in the U.K.  And he has applauded the six pioneering new clinics across the U.K. that have been set up by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

The Bill, which was first debated in the House of Commons last Friday, calls for an effective, automatic screening on the NHS for all high-risk families.  It has already received widespread backing from MPs across the country and from a number of sports personalities including Ian Botham, Jeremy Bates and Welsh rugby star Rob Jones.

CRY founder and chief executive Alison Cox said: “Sudden death in young people can no longer be ignored by health professionals or the government and this is a great chance for us as a campaigning charity, to raise the profile of this condition on the political agenda.  It can affect anyone, which is why it is so vital to have national action in addition to the clinics we’ve set up.”

The charity believes that many such deaths could be avoided if basic cardiac screening was more widely available.

Immediate screening of all close family members after a sudden death is often the only way to identify any hereditary faults in the heart and prevent further tragic losses within the same family.

But reports suggest that many young people at risk-those with a family history of sudden death, with a close relative who has been diagnosed at risk, or with “warning signs” such as blackouts are still not being referred for further tests and are dismissed as “too young” to have heart problems.

Speaking at the charity’s parliamentary reception at the House of Commons Jim Bobbin MP said: “I am very pleased to have this opportunity to show my support for the important work funded by CRY.