ALAN Milburn said it: "There was no one quite like Ian Weir. But there are far too many people waiting just like Ian Weir."

The campaign in this newspaper, inspired by the Ian Weir tragedy, has been well documented. Ian was our friend and our colleague. He should not have died aged 38. His wife should not have been left a widow. His two boys should not be without a father.

Ian believed in the NHS but - as Mr Milburn said - the NHS let him down.

His death has, without question, been the catalyst for change. It hammered home the need for radical action to reverse the terminal decline of the NHS after decades of underfunding.

Mr Milburn left Ian Weir's funeral in June last year with calls for real action ringing in his ears.

The Northern Echo does not follow a party political line. But, as the newspaper which led the calls for change, we believe that Alan Milburn has responded with an honesty, dynamism and passion which has not been seen in a Health Secretary for a long, long time.

It has also been matched by genuine investment in the future of the NHS.

When we launched the campaign called A Chance To Live, our core aim was to see waiting lists for heart bypass surgery cut from the British average of 12 months to the three-month average in other European countries.

The Health Secretary yesterday pledged that the wait will be cut to six months and then three months.

It will not happen tomorrow - we know that. We also know that Ian Weir will not be the last person to be let down by the NHS before the promises are delivered.

Here in the North-East, patients needing heart bypass surgery are being told that they face a wait of 18 months.

Alan Milburn knows how wrong that is and how quickly change is needed.

He has done no more than make a start. But that is much more than his predecessors have done and we congratulate him for it.

Let's aim for six months, three months, one month, one week, one day - a strategy of continuous improvement that can be measured in saved lives no matter which political party is in power.

After all, there are far too many people waiting like Ian Weir.