Nearly 70 healthcare professionals from across Scotland have signed an open letter backing a Yes vote as the best way to protect the NHS.
The letter – whose signatories include consultants, GPs, midwives, nurses, dentists and pharmacists – highlights comments by Labour MPs about what is happening in England and concerns over budget cuts.
“Westminster is wedded to further and deeper austerity, with at least £25billion more cuts to public spending planned by the Tories,” it says.
“To put that in context, in the event of No vote this would see Scotland’s budget for public services slashed further by Westminster, by around 10% over the next few years.
“Cuts of 10% to NHS frontline spending would have a devastating impact on the service.”
Dr Willie Wilson, co-founder and chairman of the pro-independence group NHS for Yes, said: “It is becoming increasingly clear to both people who work in the NHS and those who depend on it that a Yes vote is the only sure way of protecting our public health service from Westminster’s austerity agenda and the knock-on impact from the privatisation programme that is already running rampant in in the NHS in England.
“When so many eminent healthcare professionals – both the signatories to this open letter and our members in NHS for Yes – are making these points it is wise to listen.”