Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has acknowledged the potential benefits of hyperbaric oxygen chambers in UK community pharmacies for patients with chronic illnesses.

During a debate in the house of commons yesterday (27 January) the Independent MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, Margaret Ferrier, mentioned the launch of the first hyperbaric oxygen chamber available for customers in a Scottish pharmacy, and Mr Rees-Mog responded to the point.

Ms Ferrier also called on Government to consider making the treatment more accessible to patients across the UK.

She said: ‘Dickson chemist in Rutherglen, in my constituency, has become the first Scottish pharmacy to have a hyperbaric chamber available for customers. Hyperbaric chambers can have huge health benefits for tissue damage repair or chronic illness, such as multiple sclerosis.

‘While recognising that health is a devolved matter, will the Leader of the House schedule a debate in Government time on how the provision of this equipment can be improved across the UK, both in terms of supply and cost?’

In response, Mr Reece Moggs said that he believe that having a hyperbaric chamber in a pharmacy sounds ‘prima facie to be a very good idea’ he also said he hoped it will be ‘something that other people look into’.

Several pharmacies across England already offer a hyperbaric chamber service, otherwise known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, to patients.

The oxygen chambers were originally used for helping divers recover from decompression sickness by eliminating bubbles that had formed within the body after emerging from underwater 

More recently, the chambers have helped people with a variety of ailments, from tiredness to chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis.

Last year, researchers carried out trials to examine the otential benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in patients with long Covid.