First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has claimed the SNP’s anti-austerity plan would see an additional £9.5billion funding boost for the NHS across the UK.
She claimed the proposal was in sharp contrast to the views of the Conservatives and Labour who are both committed to a further £30billion of budget cuts in the next Westminster parliament.
Ms Sturgeon claimed the additional funding would see Scotland’s health budget rise by a total of £2billion by 2020.
But Scottish Liberal Democrat party president Sir Malcolm Bruce, who is not seeking re-election as the MP for Gordon, has warned that the SNP’s plans to borrow £180billion to pay for their election promises threatened to “wreck” NHS funding.
Ms Sturgeon said: “Westminster’s NHS privatisation and cuts agenda puts the health service in England at risk – and threatens to harm Scotland’s budget on which our health service depends.
“This is exactly why a strong team of SNP MPs will vote not only to end austerity but to restore England’s NHS.
“Such a vote would be good for England by giving people their health service back and also represent enlightened self-interest for Scotland, by protecting the Scottish budget from the cuts which English privatisation is undoubtedly paving the way for.”
Ms Sturgeon said any claim made by her political opponents that they would protect the NHS was “entirely worthless” given a shared commitment to austerity.
Sir Malcolm said: “The SNP plan to borrow £180billion to pay for their promises threatens to wreck NHS funding.
“The SNP plan to take on more debt would mean £3.1billion extra in interest payments every year.
“That eats into the money available for health and the entire NHS funding they propose is wiped out by three years of interest payments.”
Sir Malcolm said £8billion in NHS funding set out by Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg would generate £800million extra for Scotland.