Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston has hit out at the Scottish Government after questioning ministers on the pressure on dental services across his region.
Speaking at Health Questions in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Halcro Johnston warned that, across Scotland, dental practices were either going private or closing down completely. He highlighted the case of Skye and Lochalsh Dental Practice which has already announced its closure.
The Scottish Conservative MSP questioned Health Minster Maree Todd on whether Scottish ministers in Edinburgh had made any assessment of the impact their cuts to NHS dentistry would have on rural dental practices.
Speaking later, Mr Halcro Johnston said “We know NHS dentistry is under pressure across Scotland, and that is particularly acute in many remote and rural communities.
“And so I wanted to know just how Maree Todd expects dental practices to provide NHS services at a loss, given her government has withdrawn funding. And what impact she thinks this will have on local people who desperately need access to local services.
“So it is hugely disappointing that all we got from the Maree Todd was the usual ‘no answers, just excuses’ approach, with her response clearly prepared in advance by her staff and read out by the minister.
“That demonstrates a complete abdication of responsibility by the Scottish Government in Edinburgh for the actions they have taken and the impact that is already having on local people and families across the Highlands and Islands.
“We have seen a pattern of local health services being cut back, downgraded or lost entirely. And yet government ministers – despite often representing rural communities – do nothing to reverse that trend.
“Maree Todd’s prepared excuses will be cold comfort to local families desperate to access dental services but worried that these services, like so many others, will be lost entirely”.
