NHS 'is dying before our eyes' BMA's chief warns

Many now going private

- By David Walker

THE NHS is “dying before our very eyes” thanks to the SNP, it has been claimed.

The brutal indictment comes as thousands of Scots are driven into paying for private healthcare due to massive waiting lists with one-in-six of the population now waiting for treatment.

But the Scottish Government has failed to improve waiting times, whilst blaming Covid and Brexit for these issues instead of admitting fault.

A survey carried out on behalf of BMA Scotland, the union representing doctors, found nearly one-third of Scots had accessed private treatment in the last two years or lived with someone who did.

Chairman Dr Iain Kennedy was scathing in his criticism of how the SNP have handled the NHS.

He is set to make a speech at BMA’s 2025 annual representative meeting in Liverpool today, where he will say that it was “abundantly clear” that Scotland was now divided between people who could afford to go private and those forced to “languish” on NHS waiting lists.