Roz McCall, Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Mid Scotland and Fife region, has strongly criticised the Scottish Government’s recovery plan for the NHS following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recent statistics from Public Health Scotland have shown a significant reduction in the number of operations conducted across Scotland's health boards since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
With over 480,000 fewer operations taking place, the data reveals a distressing shortfall in operations, particularly noting a reduction of 15,625 operations in Fife alone.
Additionally, the figures for July highlight that nearly 2,000 operations were cancelled at the last minute, adding to the strain on patients awaiting treatment.
Roz has been vocal about the failures of the SNP Scottish Government to address the backlog effectively and criticises the continued use of COVID-19 as an excuse. The lack of a robust recovery plan is causing unnecessary suffering for thousands of patients who continue to face lengthy delays for essential operations.
Roz McCall MSP said:
“Far too many patients in Fife are languishing in pain as crucial operations and procedures continue to be cancelled or delayed. This situation is unacceptable and is a direct result of the SNP's flimsy and ill-prepared approach for NHS recovery.”
“For many desperate patients, there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel, yet SNP ministers continue to excuse their failures by blaming the pandemic. We need a solid, actionable plan that goes beyond empty promises and provides real solutions to the people of Scotland.”
“The continued cancellation of operations is taking a huge mental and physical toll on patients in Fife. The SNP must stop making excuses and start making changes. It’s imperative that we see an immediate implementation of a comprehensive plan to remobilise frontline healthcare services effectively. Our NHS deserves better than back-of-a-fag packet planning."
