Letters / Emma is best choice on healthcare
Anyone who has either required health care treatment from the NHS themselves, and/or had a loved one needing the services of our health and social care system, knows just how important it is that they are all prioritised to the greatest possible extent. We must, thus, ensure that those who are fortunate enough to represent and govern us now and in the future are wholly capable of making the right decisions in this area.
There are now eight candidates standing to be the next constituency MSP for Shetland in this year’s Scottish Parliament elections, seven of whom are members of political parties. So far, Emma Macdonald of the Liberal Democrats has been the only one to launch her own survey for island residents to share their concerns with her, with leaflets being distributed four months ago.
This is why I strongly believe that Emma is, by far, the strongest contender of them all to be relied upon to protect and improve our vital health care services. The fact that she has taken the time to gauge how people really feel about the situation regarding local NHS treatment indicates that she is easily the best candidate to been trusted with fixing the problems that there currently are with it.
Just a couple of weeks ago, it was reported in BBC News that the SNP-run Scottish Government missed a target to end long-term waits for treatment with the NHS. John Swinney pledged last year that not a single patient in Scotland would be waiting for longer than a whole year for their treatment.
However, data published recently proves that there were just over 53,000 waits of more than 12 months for inpatient and outpatient treatment. Additionally, many of the key targets set in the Scottish Government’s 2021 Covid recovery plan, such as increasing overall capacity by 10 per cent, have been missed. This indicates that the SNP cannot be trusted to manage Scotland’s public health care systems.
Meanwhile, Reform UK intend to seriously undermine the sacred concept of having a National Health Service that is always in public hands. They could end up costing the United Kingdom £1.7 billion through their plan to offer a 20 per cent tax relief for those on private health insurance if they ever get into government.
Both Emma Macdonald and I strongly believe that the Lib Dems are absolutely the right people to deal with the many pressing challenges in the NHS, which is visibly completely different to the records of our opponents on this matter. This is a party that definitely acknowledges, rightly, that fixing the issues in social care is one of the most surefire things that can be done to improve the overall situation with the NHS.
With her university degrees in health and social care and professional experience as a social care worker, I have utmost faith in Emma Macdonald to successfully handle this matter that she understands very well. After more than 60 years of the current building being in use for the population, a new Gilbert Bain hospital is very sorely in need of being provided to Shetland.
It is “deeply disappointing” that no timetable was given for a Gilbert Bain replacement by the SNP Holyrood administration in April 2024. However, Beatrice Wishart did very well to secure much greater attention from the Scottish Government.
This followed budget negotiations with her party less than a year later, with there finally being a “willingness to listen and respond to Liberal Democrat priorities”. This is why it really delights me that we in Shetland have had Lib Dem representation for so long. I, therefore, very much look forward to seeing the next parliament with at least twice as many liberals inside of it, as the opinion polls are currently predicting.
Of course, you can never afford to be complacent in politics. But I truly do believethat our best days are now in front of us, instead of behind, so let’s make thoseopinion polls a reality and usher in a much better future for everybody.
Bertie Summers
Former MSYP for Shetland
