Public health minister ‘must make way for fresh leadership’ says MSP
to have confidence in the public health minister to lead us out of this human rights tragedy. These shocking statistics and his woeful response give us none.
“The minister may have tried his best, but it is not good enough. Minister, I am sorry to say it, but I do believe your time is up. Will he please do the decent thing, resign and please make way for fresh leadership.”
Mr Fitzpatrick responded that many people working on the front line of this health emergency take a “different view” to that of Ms Lennon.
"It’s easy to call names and it’s easy to personalise. I’m disappointed it’s come from Monica Lennon,” he said.
Mr Fitzpatrick denied claims that he has not engaged with stakeholders working to improve the drugs crisis.
“I think in the last two years we have taken considerable action to improve the service, the idea that I am not listening is just not factual,” he said.
“It is one of the things I have taken great care to do since being appointed to this post, to listen to people across Scotland with lived and living experience and those on the front line in this public health emergency.”
Labour MS P Neil Find lay echoed the call for Mr Fitzpatrick to resign.
"We have a three-and-a-half times worse situation in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK with the same legislation,” he said. "Working-class communities are in a crisis, and we see working groups, and we’re going to take pill presses off people and think that’s going to resolve the issue.”
Award-winning author and rapper Darren Mcgarvey, who has experienced addiction, also urged the public health minister to quit. He said a fundamental debate on governance is needed and warned against safer drug consump - tion rooms (DCRS) becoming a substitute for this.
He tweeted: "Fitzpatrick has to go in recognition that we have no leadership at government level. Today's statement and subsequent questions demonstrated that focus on DCRS produces next to nothing but hot air and platitudes."
Heroin and morphine were involved in more deaths than in any previous year - at 645 - and more than half of the total. Methadone was involved in 560 fat ali ties, benzodiaze-pines of any form-street and prescription - in 999, and cocaine in 365.
A total of 404 deaths were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area, 163 in Lanarkshire, 155 in Lothian, 118 in Tayside and 108 in Ayrshire and Arran.
Nearly 70 percent of the deaths were men and more than two-thirds were aged between 35 and 54.
UK Government Minister Kit Malthouse said: "I am deeply concerned about the number of drug-related deaths in Scotland.
"I am committed to working with the devolved administration in Scotland to tackle drug misuse and this year I held a U k-wide Drugs Summit in Glasgow, bringing together a range of exp er ts. "We will continue to support programmes which reduce the health-related harms of drugs, such as tight ening control son dangerous substances."