Is our Scottish NHS sick? It would appear so with hospital staff, the ambulance service, and social care all in dire straits, and waiting times sky high.
Also face-to-face GP appointments are now normally unavailable.
Doctors, and unions, have for years constantly pointed out chronic understaffing and called for more resources to be made available. Not just cash, but trained staff.
The Scottish Government has full autonomy over all aspects of our emergency services, but throwing more cash without any plans or ideas how it is spent, is passing the buck.
The problem is with training. There is a shortage of all medically trained hospital staff, GPs, and paramedics, who must be trained to a high degree of professionalism. This takes years. For example, it can take nearly 10 years for a GP to be fully trained, and have enough experience for general practice.
So why was Holyrood not proactive years ago? Why do they cap university places for these professions?
And why, as it’s been widely reported, are the SNP-led government trying to stop Westminster from ring-fencing the cash generated from the National Insurance increase, for use only in the NHS?
It is my opinion that the Scottish Government only go for big positive headlines – like new hospitals. With hospitals under ever-increasing stress, public inquiries into flagship hospitals, and calling in the Army to drive ambulances, they have plenty of big headlines now – for all the wrong reasons.
JH.
Passports for all pubs
The Scottish Government is pushing ahead with this vaccine passport nonsense for nightclubs and now faces a legal challenge from the entertainments industry, which is not surprising as the proposals are unworkable and impossible to enforce.
It would have been more practical and effective to consider the introduction of vaccine passports for ALL licensed premises, which would have seen a massive surge in younger people in Scotland rolling up their sleeves and queuing up for the vaccine.
Dennis F Grattan, Mugiemoss Road, Bucksburn.
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