Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston has called on the Scottish Government to tackle a ‘ticking timebomb’ backlog of delayed operations in the local health board area.
His warning comes after the latest figures from ISD Scotland showed the number of operations that have been performed by NHS Grampian, the board which includes Moray, has declined by two-thirds during the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures show the number of operations fell from 3,086 in June 2019 to just 1,029 in June 2020.
The Scottish Conservative MSP said: “These are deeply worrying figures and represent a ticking timebomb which must be addressed as a matter of urgency.
“It is vital that SNP ministers ensure that NHS Grampian has sufficient funding and resource available to carry out operations and reduce the backlog of cases.
“As we saw with the downgrading of services in Aberlour, and at Dr Gray’s where targets for re-opening facilities such as maternity services were being missed, local health services were already under real pressure even before the pandemic broke out.
“I’m increasingly worried about the serious consequences that the backlog will have for people waiting for treatment. And, while we all understand the circumstances that have led to this situation, we cannot allow it to continue any longer.
“We need to see a major focus from the Scottish Government to ensure waiting time targets are achieved”.
