Scottish First Minister and SNP Leader has today (Sunday) made clear
that the SNP will use the General Election to urge the people of
Scotland to unite behind the founding principles of the NHS –
ensuring it is kept in public hands and protected from threats of
Westminster privatisation.
The First Minister pledged that he and the SNP would stand
against the “twin threats” of Westminster privatisation and
austerity, and made clear that he would continue to do everything
in his power to protect and improve Scotland's NHS.
This comes ahead of a week in which the SNP will focus on
protecting public services and investment from the austerity
agenda supported by both Labour and the Tories.
Labour's Shadow Health Secretary has previously said that he would be “holding the
door wide open” to private interests in the NHS, while private
healthcare investors have stated that Labour would “kick-start
private sector investment much more proactively than the Tories
were able to do.”
said:
“Ensuring the NHS remains in public hands will be one of the
defining debates of this General Election – and the SNP will do
whatever we can to protect Scotland from the creeping
privatisation and cuts agenda supported by the Westminster
parties.
“I am deeply alarmed at the language that is coming out of
Westminster on the health service – and my pledge to the people
of Scotland is that the Scottish Government and the SNP will play
no part in it.
“Under the SNP, NHS funding has more than doubled and NHS
staffing is at a record high – with far more doctors and nurses
per head in Scotland than south of the border. And we are
taking action wherever we can to ensure further improvements –
including investing £300m to drive down waiting times.
“But we know that there is more work to be done. We want to
see further investment in our NHS – but this won't be achieved as
long as we face the twin threats of Westminster privatisation and
a commitment to double-down on austerity from both and .
“What the NHS needs is serious leadership and a bold vision for
the future based on its founding principles – not threats to its
survival from the Westminster parties.
“Our NHS deserves leadership, not salesmanship. That firm,
experienced leadership is exactly what I will deliver – while the
Westminster parties are threatening to sell it off piece by
piece.
“The General Election is the opportunity for Scotland to unite
behind our NHS – rejecting the twin Westminster threats of
privatisation and austerity, and making our voice heard that the
NHS must always be in public hands.”
