Highland Liberal Democrat MP Jamie Stone has secured a meeting with the Scottish Health Minister, Jenni Minto MSP, to address the challenges faced by Highlanders in accessing their human rights to health, housing and food.
Mr Stone demanded the meeting following the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s (SHRC) report into ‘Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Highlands and Islands’.
The report found that the right to health in the Highlands was seriously inadequate with regards to accessibility and availability.
Critical concerns about the lack of physical and financial accessibility for many services and their insufficient availability were key indicators of these failures.
Crucially, evidence received from rights-holders branded sexual and reproductive health services in Caithness and Sutherland as ‘critical’ as a consequence of centralisation.
The SNP’s decision to centralise healthcare has increased the travel time for 14,000 patients per year and culminated in the current 100 mile car journey that pregnant women are forced to take from Caithness to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Ahead of the meeting, the Far North MP said he will “hold the Scottish Government accountable for the downgrading of the consultant-led maternity unit in Caithness and push the Minister on plans to restore these services.”
Responding to the letter, the Minister said that she appreciated Mr Stone’s ‘sustained interest’ in his constituents safety and wellbeing, and agreed to meet with him to discuss maternity services.
However, the invitation to the First Minister John Swinney to travel the distance between Caithness and Inverness to experience for himself the distance has been declined.
The invite was extended last month in a letter penned by Far North MP Jamie Stone, Chair of Caithness Health Action Team (CHAT) Ron Gunn, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton and local Scottish Parliamentary candidate David Green.
Commenting, Mr Stone said:
“I am pleased that the Minister is willing to meet with me to discuss this issue.
“At least one member of the Scottish Government is ready to face the music.
“Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the First Minister, who is clearly using this meeting as a way of hiding behind his cabinet member.
“It is not enough to preach your understanding of an issue.
“Whether it be in the Chamber or on paper – I won’t believe John Swinney is truly serious about fixing this issue until he comes and experiences it for himself.
“But then, is it any wonder he’s not jumping at the opportunity? A gruelling 100 mile journey in the back of an ambulance is evidently not appealing to the First Minister, and you can see why. It’s just a shame that he doesn’t hold such high standards for pregnant women in the Far North. It is shameful, quite frankly.
“It’s about time he stepped into the light and took responsibility for the mess his party has made over the last 17 years.
“Nevertheless, I intend to meet with the Minister and hold the Scottish Government accountable for the downgrading of the consultant-led maternity unit in Caithness.
“I will also expect to hear about what plans they have to restore these services.
“So long as I am the MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, I won’t stop fighting for this.”
Commenting, Ron Gunn, Chairman of Caithness Health Action Team said:
“I am very disappointed but not surprised that the First Minister has ignored the invitation to come and see for himself the problems faced by patients in the north but am delighted that our MP Jamie Stone has secured a meeting with the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health to discuss this matter of great concern to the people of the north and thank him for his relentless fighting.
“Following the Human Rights report, CHAT submitted a report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee and our submission has been accepted and added to the agenda for the UN meeting on 12th February in Geneva.
“Iain Gregory, our vice chair, has been invited to present the submission via an online link.
“The report will then be debated by the 18 members on the committee.
“We will hear the result later this year.”
Commenting, David Green, the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, added:
“I will say it until I am blue in the face; it shouldn’t take the Scottish Human Rights Commission to warn that human rights are under threat to see action from the Scottish Government.
“It is of course deeply frustrating that the First Minister will not meet with local campaigners to hear their concerns firsthand.
“We must keep banging the drum to make sure local voices are heard, and we will.”