TORY COST OF LIVING CRISIS PUTS SQUEEZE ON NHS LOTHIAN

SNP: ONLY INDEPENDENCE CAN DELIVER IN HEALTHCARE FOR PEOPLE IN MIDLOTHIAN AND EAST LOTHIAN
 
Colin Beattie MSP has slammed the Tory Government for putting increased pressure on NHS Lothian after new research has revealed more than a quarter of Scots have sought NHS treatment due to the impact of the cost of living crisis on their health.
 
The damning report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said the cost of living crisis had deepened a “cycle of health inequality” that was "failing our people and turning up the pressure on the NHS.”
 
With food prices continuing to soar and rapidly inflating energy bills making it difficult for people to keep warm, more people in Midlothian and East Lothian are having to seek out either physical or acute mental health treatment for conditions.
 
Commenting, Colin Beattie MSP said:
 
“This corrupt Tory Government is failing the people of Midlothian and East Lothian; failing to deliver affordable food; failing to tackle rising energy costs and now failing them when it comes to their health. Midlothian and East Lothian deserves better.
 
“Whether it’s from neglect or threat of privatisation, it’s no secret that our NHS is not safe in the hands of the Tories in Westminster, and this pressure should be seen as a foreshadowing of what’s to come under their control.
 
“With the Tories and Labour providing no alternative to the brutal impact of Westminster control, the SNP Government is digging deep with what few powers it has to mitigate the Tories’ cruel cuts and claw backs. It's clear that only in an independent Scotland can we do more than just mitigate and build a robust healthcare system that looks after everyone.”