Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

The Voice of the North: Politicians defending universal NHS in words not deeds is ‘abhorrent’

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf watches First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speak in Holyrood (Image: Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail/PA)
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf watches First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speak in Holyrood (Image: Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail/PA)

Stubbornly defending a principle at the expense of public interest and health is neither admirable nor sensible, write the P&J editorial team.

Politicians who stick resolutely to their principles appear to have been in short supply for some time in the UK, so perhaps First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf deserve a round of applause.

However, stubbornly defending a principle at the expense of public interest and health is neither an admirable nor sensible course of action for those leading a country.

Ms Sturgeon and Mr Yousaf both reacted passionately to hypothetical suggestions of a so-called “two-tier” NHS system, in which some patients pay, to ease financial pressure.

The first minister said: “The founding principles of the National Health Service are not up for discussion”, while the health secretary called the idea “abhorrent”.

Allowing patients and staff to suffer and letting health services degrade while doing nothing to help is truly ‘abhorrent’

The NHS is a source of great pride for many people living across Britain, and few would choose to move away from free universal healthcare. Still, it is no secret that Scotland’s hospitals and GP surgeries are in crisis, partly as a result of the Covid pandemic, but also due to years of struggle prior to coronavirus rearing its head.

Allowing patients and staff to suffer and letting health services degrade while doing nothing to help is truly “abhorrent”.

We need an open conversation about the NHS

Mr Yousaf and Ms Sturgeon are quick to condemn the ideas of others; where are their solutions to this urgent issue? It is a quintessential example of politicians talking the talk, but shying away from tough problems at crunch time.

Dr Iain Kennedy said the NHS is in a ‘dire situation’ (Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson)

If reform within the current system can ease financial strain, or if funds can be sourced from elsewhere within government budgets, all avenues must be thoroughly and swiftly explored. If not, change is needed and, to quote Inverness doctor Iain Kennedy, “we need a proper, open conversation about the NHS” – now, not later.

Should Scottish Government ministers continue to fixate on Scottish independence above all else and shout loudly about protecting the health service without taking action, we will soon see it deteriorate beyond recognition or repair.


The Voice of the North is The Press & Journal’s editorial stance on what we think is the most important story of the day

Conversation