Meeting of the Parliament 17 June 2026 [Last updated 15:26]
Each year, more than 11,000 people have a stroke, yet only 2 per cent of them receive a thrombectomy—the very treatment that could prevent lifelong disability. Right now, there is a clear and unacceptable inequality across the service, and my constituents in Galloway and West Dumfries are paying the price. They have no direct access and must rely on transfer to Glasgow, where, in reality, the service is restricted to weekdays for access to referrals, the last procedure is at around 5 pm and there is no service at all on Sundays. The consequence is stark: if someone in Galloway has a stroke in the early evening, they are in effect denied that life-changing treatment. Outcomes for my constituents are being determined not by clinical need but by geography and the clock. That cannot be justified. What will the minister do, and when will she do it, to end that inequality?