Lib Dem councillor Angus MacDonald has hit out at Independent councillors on Highland Council after the joint administration voted down his calls to lobby the Scottish Government to fully fund NHS Highland in the face of a £98 million black hole.
Despite the Health and Social Care Strategy chairman, Councillor David Fraser, praising Councillor MacDonald’s plans, he then put forward an amendment to water them down which was supported by Independent councillors from across the Highland region.
The clash led to Councillor MacDonald questioning the purpose of the Independent councillors who prop up the SNP administration on Highland Council.
Speaking after the vote at last Thursday’s full council meeting, Councillor MacDonald said: “NHS Highland has a £98m funding gap, 13,500 people are on waiting lists, our suicide rate in the Highlands is the highest in Scotland, and Inverness city is growing fast without medical services increasing to match that.
“Hospitals across the Highlands such as Raigmore, the Belford and Portree are not fit for purpose, and staff shortages are a massive issue.
“We need the Highlands to have a strong health sector, and to do that we need the funding required to pay the staff properly, equip them with staff accommodation, and ensure we have care homes and hospitals fit for the future.
“The Independent councillors were voted in by their constituents because they were seen as independent.
“It’s clear they are not, they vote alongside their SNP administration partners, just as the Greens do at Holyrood.
“The losers are the old and sick across the Highlands. If we can’t fight for our constituents on issues like this what is our purpose?
“Us Highlanders seem to accept our lot with little complaint.
“We need large numbers to petition the Health Minister Michael Matheson to fully fund NHS Highland sufficiently well to do its job and avoid massive cuts on an already limping service.”
Highland Council will now write to the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to welcome the recent announcement of £300m of extra funding to reduce waiting lists.
It will ask that as well as funding front line services within the hospitals that the fund be used to increase community based services to help reduce discharge times from hospitals.