Borders MSP Rachael Hamilton has called on Scotland’s Health Secretary to take immediate action to tackle Long Covid, after new figures showed the number of Long Covid cases is rising in Scotland and falling in England.
Ms Hamilton is urging the SNP Health Secretary to follow her party’s calls to set up a network of specialist clinics across Scotland after the Office for National Statistics estimated 199,000 people in Scotland are now suffering with Long Covid.
This upper estimate figure represents an 18% rise on the 169,000 patients in Scotland believed to be suffering from the condition three months earlier.
In contrast, in England – where specialist Long Covid clinics are in operation – according to upper estimates, the number of cases has dropped 17% from 1,733,000 to 1,445,000 over the same period.
Shadow Health Secretary Dr Sandesh Gulhane has been urging the SNP Government to introduce Long Covid clinics for over a year, to give GPs – such as himself – a clearer pathway for getting patients the help they need to treat the debilitating condition.
Ms Hamilton has been highlighting the extent to which Borderers have been affected by Long Covid, and has expressed real concern over the Scottish Government’s inaction on providing help to those suffering with the debilitating
Rachael Hamilton MSP:
“These alarming figures must act as a wake-up call to Humza Yousaf to stop dithering and act now.
“The ONS are clear that Long Covid cases are rising in Scotland, on the SNP’s watch, while they are falling south of the border, where specialist clinics are up and running.
“The SNP Health Secretary has ignored repeated calls from people suffering from Long Covid, alongside me and many of my MSP colleagues to deliver the required funding for specialised Long Covid clinics, which are already in operation in England. He can no longer ignore these calls in light of these figures.
“Almost 200,000 Scots are now battling Long Covid including many people here in the Borders, yet GPs are struggling to point patients towards the specialist care they need.
“The SNP must act now to prevent more people from needlessly suffering. Now that Parliament has returned, the suffering of Long Covid patients must be a top priority for Humza Yousaf.
“It is vital that Mr Yousaf gets behind the proposals set out more than a year ago by the Scottish Conservatives for a network of clinics across Scotland.”
