Nicola Sturgeon has defended the dangerous ‘think twice’ statement from Humza Yousaf, despite even more reports of heartbreaking cases where people have died while waiting too long for an ambulance.
At First Minister’s Questions, in response to Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross, she refused to apologise and withdraw the health secretary’s comment on Wednesday that people should ‘think twice’ before dialling 999 for an ambulance.
Sturgeon also refused to accept the NHS is in crisis, despite reports today about 65-year-old Gerard Brown, who passed away after waiting 40 hours for an ambulance, and an 86-year-old woman, Lilian Briggs, who waited hours for an ambulance on a cold floor with a broken hip.
The GP of Gerard Brown is reported to have said “this is third world medicine.”
On Good Morning Scotland, Evelyn from Kilwinning called in to raise that her husband has waited 23 hours for an ambulance and said: “one of these days our luck is going to run out.”
Douglas Ross called for the army to be drafted in and major incident status to be declared.
The First Minister said bringing in the army would be considered but wouldn’t set any timetable for it.
Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross said: “These heartbreaking stories of people dying and suffering in agony while waiting for an ambulance must be a wake-up call to the SNP Government.
“Systemic failures are leaving ambulance crews to turn up and pronounce people dead, instead of having a chance of saving a life.
“For two weeks in a row, Nicola Sturgeon has been in denial that our NHS is in crisis. Admitting the scale of the problem is essential to tackling it.
“We are backing calls from the Unite union to bring in the armed forces and declare a major incident status. Our ambulance services are at breaking point.
“But it seems that people across Scotland will be left waiting another week while the government delays taking decisive action.
“It is especially shocking that the First Minister won’t apologise for Humza Yousaf’s comments and withdraw them. His dangerous and reckless words could cost lives.
“The way to tackle this extreme pressure is not to tell sick people to stay away, it’s to give ambulance crews the resources to reach every patient while they’re still breathing.
“The Health Secretary should be providing solutions but Humza Yousaf is the problem. With Scotland’s NHS in crisis, he should think twice before speaking and dedicate more time towards taking the necessary action.”
Notes
On Good Morning Scotland around 09:15:33 today, a caller phoned in to raise her husband’s case. Here is a rough transcript:
Evelyn: My husband has been taken into hospital three times recently in the last few week, the last time was last week where we waited 23hrs 15mins for an ambulance.
Gary : 23 hours?
Evelyn: Yes
Gary: Do you mind me asking what’s happening with your husband at the moment.
Evelyn: The reason he was getting taken in was because the dr was concerned that his kidney function was practically non existent and his potassium level was very, very high.
Gary: So the dr advised admission to hospital and advised you to call 999?
Evelyn: No the dr arranged the ambulance.
Gary: The dr called it himself?
Evelyn: I wanted to take him in the car, I’m an amputee and I wanted to take him in the car but the dr said that it has to be an ambulance in case he deteriorated.
Gary: So, what went on in that that nearly 24 hour period, were there repeated calls being made to the ambulance service?
Evelyn: No, the ambulance service called us at least five times to ask if he had deteriorated any, if he had to call 999. I couldn’t lie he was just the same but it took 23 hours. That the longest, the time before was 11 and a half hours and the quickest was 6 hours.
Gary: And how was you husband, was he distressed through this?
Evelyn: He was very distressed
Gary: because you had no idea how long this was going to take and how it was going to affect him.
Evelyn: God bless the ambulance crew, who are absolutely amazing but they are run ragged.
Gary: How were they with you, when they eventually made it to you. What did they say about the delay?
Evelyn: The whole point is when I to hospital there was nine ambulances outside the hospital waiting to admit people, nine, so that is nine crews off the road for hours.
Gary: So that is 3 times you have been through this experience Evelyn, you must be anxious that is going to be a continuing problem that you are going to face.
Evelyn: oh yes, it definitely is. He is a very unwell man so this is going to be reoccurring but one of these days our luck is going to run out.
Gary: Thanks for sharing your story with us this morning