Meeting of the Parliament 16 January 2025
I agree that a human rights-based approach to budgeting must be taken at all levels to meet people’s human rights. That was clear from the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s report.
I return to the issue of gynaecological services and maternity care in rural areas. It is unacceptable that mothers are having to travel 100 miles to give birth when they are in middle of labour. That is surely not a human rights-based approach. The situation is even worse when the roads are blocked.
Hospitals and services in the Highlands and Islands have been impacted by budget cuts. The Caithness health review is on hold, as is NHS Highland and NHS Grampian’s joint maternity redesign. We have had more positive news about the Belford, but the go-ahead for the replacement hospital has been given only for the planning and design stage. The planning and design stage for the new hospital on Barra was completed, but then the project was unceremoniously dropped by the Scottish Government. That provides cold comfort to the people of Lochaber in the context of the Belford, who must keep up the pressure for their hospital. In relation to Barra, the Scottish Government must reinstate its commitment to the Castlebay campus and provide people with the hospital that they need. I could cite many other issues.
I know that we are tight for time, but I want to turn to the Government-initiated Scottish graduate entry medicine programme. Although it aims to boost rural GP numbers, it has delivered only two trainee doctors in the Highlands since 2016. We know that allied health professionals are not available, so people cannot access services that are no longer provided by GPs. We need a review to be carried out of the GP contract, and we need that to be done with a vision for rural areas in mind. I urge the Government to do that as soon as possible.
17:27