Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
POLITICIANS AT ODDS OVER THE WAY FORWARD IN COUNTY HEALTH CARE
Monklands MSPs have responded to a Holyrood vote in which opposition parties jointly called on the Scottish Government to call in proposals for local health board changes – including the orthopaedics move at Monklands Hospital.
Their call was passed by 64 votes to nil, as SNP members abstained in the final vote.
It requests that the government step in to make a decision on plans for seven facilities across the country which opponents say are “major service changes”, but does not bind the administration to take action.
Central Scotland Labour representative Richard Leonard told the Advertiser that “the health secretary must act now to protect our local communities”, but Coatbridge SNP member Fulton MacGregor accused opposition politicians of “playing politics with local health services”.
Monklands featured in the debate, noting “wi d e s p read public concern over proposals to downgrade valued local services”, because of interim plans to move trauma and orthopaedic services from the Airdrie hospital later this month.
NHS Lanarkshire plans to concentrate the specialty at its other two acute hospital sites at Wishaw and Hairmyres until a longer- term decision on the permanent location of an elective centre is decided; the issue forms part of the health board’s current Achieving Excellence consultation.
Mr Leonard said of the interim move: “The fact that these decisions have been taken without any genuine public consultation is completely and utterly u na c c e p t a b l e . Ou r communities deserve better.
“I welcome the fact that parties across the chamber were able to work together in the interests of protecting local health services and democracy.
“The health secretary must now respect the will of the Parliament. This vote is not a view to be considered, but rather a decision to be acted upon, and the government can, and must, call in these decisions now.”
Party colleague Elaine Smith said in the debate that the orthopaedic changes amounted to the latest in “death by a thousand cuts” and said: “There is an opportunity, right now, to call in the current proposals, to consult properly and to think again.
“At the very least, the plans must be halted until a full consultation on this specific issue is carried out – the people of Monklands deserve to know the full facts.”
However, Mr MacGregor said: “It is sad that Labour MSPs teamed up, once again, with the Tories to play politics with local health services.
“I spoke in the debate outlining the facts of the case around Monklands Hospital, and would once again urge opposition MSPs to stop scaremongering about our hospital and get round the table to fight for Monklands to be the site of the permanent orthopaedics centre. It’s ridiculous Labour would curry the support of the Tories on the NHS. Anyone who thinks the Tories care more about the NHS and patient safety than the Scottish Government clearly hasn’t been paying attention.”