Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
WORKING FOR YOU NHS anniversary soured by cuts
Our NHS is nothing short of a national treasure, which was created under a Labour government.
Just recently the health service celebrated its 70th anniversary and it was an occasion tinged with frustration for me.
Nothing sums up the current state of affairs more than the fact I spoke in a debate celebrating the anniversary of the NHS and the very next week I was back in the same chamber debating NHS outsourcing and privatisation.
Our NHS was created to give everyone the fundamental right to universal healthcare – something I would’ve hoped would always remain the case.
However, 70 years on we are seeing cut backs to our beloved health service from the Tories in Westminster and the SNP in Holyrood.
On our own doorstep in NHS Lanarkshire, between 2016/17, a total of £10 million was spent on agency staff, which remarkably would have paid for 323 nurses in the NHS.
The value of our health goes much beyond just the hospital and doctor’s surgery, but by also creating, and working to maintain, a healthy lifestyle.
Which is why I was immensely proud to attend the big launch of the Seven Lochs Trail earlier this month alongside Councillor Michael McPake at Drumpellier Country Park in Coatbridge.
The trail is the largest heritage and nature park in Scotland and I’m proud that it is being recognised and invested in. I would encourage every Advertiser reader to get themselves along to the Seven Lochs and take part in the trail.
It is a wonderful experience, especially during the warmer weather we’ve been lucky enough to have in recent weeks, that the whole family can enjoy.
Walking is as good an exercise as any and can really improve people’s health.
Drumpellier Country Park is a fantastic facility that my Coatbridge constituents are rightly very proud of and this trail just adds to its outstanding features.