Following Thursday's Question Time in which First Minister Alex Salmond accused the Westminster parties of holding an adgenda of privatisation toward the NHS, he re-affirmed the SNP's commitment to keeping Scotland's National Health Service in public hands.
Mr Salmond highlighted Labour's support for Foundation hospitals as proof a privatisation agenda. In Scotland Labour supported the use of private finance to construct hospitals and, used the private hospital at Stracathro for NHS services. The SNP brought Stracathro back in to the public sector, ended the privatisation of hospital cleaning and is building the new Southern General Hospital in Glasgow from public funds.
Mr Salmond said:
"Scotland's National Health Service will remain publicly owned and publicy funded under the SNP.
"Over the last four years we have brought an end to private cleaning contracts helping to cut infections, we have brought the hospital at Stracathro into the public sector and our publicly owned and run health service has met it's targets - targets Labour failed to meet.
"The fake outrage of Labour and the Lib Dems over privatisation in England cannot hide their track record. In England and in Scotland they have backed increased private involvement in our health service from Foundation Hospitals to private cleaning contracts.
Mr Salmond went on to praise his deputy First Minister, saying. "With the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon at the helm Scotland's NHS is in safe hands."
Want to discuss other issues? Join in the debate on our new Scottish Voices forum
Ms Sturgeon herself oversaw the publication of an SNP document outlining their claimed 84/94 delivered headline manifesto promises. Nicola Sturgeon said: "The SNP’s 2007 manifesto made ninety-four headline commitments, and our achievements range from freezing the Council Tax, delivering 1,000 more police officers, introducing the Small Business Bonus, and restoring free education, to pledges such as meeting the cancer waiting times target – which the previous administration failed to do – and passing world leading climate change legislation. "In four years – despite being a minority government – eighty-four of these headline pledges have been delivered. "Of the other ten, some – such as the referendum on independence, and scrapping the Edinburgh Trams – were blocked by all the main opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament. Others were delivered in a different way, given changed economic circumstances and spending cuts from Westminster. And others are works in progress that, if re-elected, the SNP will continue to pursue in a second term. "This is far from everything that the SNP government has delivered. At the time of the last election, no-one foresaw Labour’s recession, and we protected more than 15,000 jobs in Scotland during that recession. We have also delivered a record 25,000 apprenticeship places in Scotland, and 24,000 social sector homes have been started since we came to office in 2007. "Having published our 2011 election manifesto, this new document is a key part of communicating our positive record, team and vision for Scotland. It details a record of achievement, particularly for a minority government. Progress has been made, and there is more to do. At this election, we believe that together we can make Scotland better - if re-elected, that is what we will do."Related posts: