South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has hit out at the SNP’s failed NHS recovery plan, as it is revealed that 17,940 people in NHS Dumfries and Galloway were stuck on a waiting list as of 30 September 2021.  

Of these, a shocking 541 were waiting more than a year.

According to these latest figures, across Scotland, 1 in 9 Scots were languishing on an NHS waiting list– of which more than 50,000 have been waiting more than a year.

The local MSP called these figures a “disaster” for the area.  

Colin Smyth said: “These astounding figures are nothing short of a disaster for our region, exposing once and for all what an abject failure the SNP Government’s NHS Recovery Plan has been.

“Our health and care staff across the region are working tirelessly to deliver the best possible standard of care, but they simply cannot keep up as there just aren’t enough of them.

“Thousands of people waiting more than a year for basic healthcare undermines the fundamental principles of our NHS.

“The SNP failed to deliver a successful catch-up programme while Covid rates were lower, meaning that services across Dumfries and Galloway were already stretched to breaking point before the new variant hit.

“Now we are in the midst of a full-scale crisis, with hundreds of patients languishing on waiting lists for over a year and counting.

“While Covid has exacerbated the challenges facing our NHS, many of the problems causing these waiting lists were there long before the pandemic such as a shortage of GPs, carers and other key health workers.

“The Health Secretary must get a grip on this ticking timebomb, and deliver a recovery plan that is truly fit for purpose.”