Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Graham Simpson for Central Scotland has called on the SNP to guarantee NHS Lanarkshire will be able to carry out vital operations wherever possible.
The MSP’s call comes after new figures showed that in the last six months between April and September, only 2,784 operations for April-September 2020 took place in NHS Lanarkshire.
That compares to an average of 14,215 operations that took place between 2016-19, meaning a potential 11,431 operations were not carried out in recent months.
While Mr. Simpson says that everything must be done to tackle rising Covid cases, they say the SNP must not forget about patients who are lying waiting for vital operations in North and South Lanarkshire.
They have called on the SNP Government to urgently ensure that NHS Lanarkshire frontline staff are given the full resources to ensure patients are given urgent clarification as to whether their operations will go ahead or not.
Commenting, Scottish Conservative MSP Graham Simpson said: “While we must do we all we can to tackle the rise in Covid cases, the SNP must ensure patients in NHS Lanarkshire who are waiting for vital operations are not simply forgotten about.
“It is concerning that a potential 11, 431 operations will have been cancelled or put on hold in the last six months.
“The SNP must ensure that NHS Lanarkshire frontline staff are given the urgent resources necessary to ensure procedures can take place wherever possible.
“As we head into winter, waiting times for operations in NHS Lanarkshire cannot spiral out of control.”
