Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Murdo Fraser says patients in Tayside are still feeling the effects of the failure of former SNP Health Secretary Humza Yousaf’s “flimsy” Covid recovery plan.
His criticism comes after new figures showed that over 470,000 fewer operations have taken place in Scotland since the Covid pandemic struck, compared to the equivalent period prior to March 2020.
Between March 2020 and June 2024, a total of 1,019,265 operations were carried out across Scotland’s health boards. But in the equivalent 52 months prior to then (November 2015 to February 2020) 1,491,355 operations took place.
NHS Tayside saw a total of 32,296 fewer operations take place post-pandemic, compared to the same pre-pandemic timescale. Mr Fraser says that the SNP’s dire workforce planning and the failure of Humza Yousaf’s flimsy Covid recovery plan means increasing numbers of patients are having operations cancelled at the last minute.
He has called on SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray to outline a “real recovery plan” for patients and staff in Tayside, and to back Scottish Conservative policies that would deliver a modern, efficient and local health service.
Commenting, Mr Fraser said: “Suffering patients in Tayside are still feeling the effects of Humza Yousaf’s flimsy Covid recovery plan. It has failed to remobilise frontline services, and that is shown in the sharp reduction in operations that are now being carried out, compared to before the pandemic.
“Many patients are seeing operations cancelled on the day, or the day before, they were scheduled – which takes a huge toll on them, mentally as well as physically.
“Dire workforce planning by successive SNP Health Secretaries means staff in Tayside are dangerously overstretched and simply cannot carry out all the scheduled operations, despite their best efforts.
“SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray needs to outline a real recovery plan for patients and staff in Tayside. He should start by backing Scottish Conservatives polices that would deliver a modern, efficient and local health service.”
