HEALTH care in the district has been boosted by a massive £19 million cash injection for hospitals and family doctors.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn has announced a 8.46 per cent increase in funding for Morecambe Bay Health Authority which is the first instalment of a three year spending plan.

Mr Milburn, a graduate of Lancaster University, was in Lancashire on Wednesday when the multi-million pound bonanza was announced.

And he promised another six per cent extra for Morecambe Bay over the next two years.

The news has been warmly received by both local MPs.

Hilton Dawson said: "This is superb news of real growth for both hospital and primary care services not only next year but for the following two years. The NHS needs major well-planned investment to improve services, to cut waiting lists, to attack the big life-threatening diseases and to ensure that we all have a chance of good health."

Geraldine Smith said: "After years of under investment the NHS is now set to grow by over one third in real terms by 2004. The extra investment will improve services for patients, especially in tackling our top priorities of cancer and coronary heart disease."

A local health authority spokesman said that the money would go towards improving services across the whole of the health authority area.

"It's a useful sum and we will now sit down and decide where the money should go," he said.