November began by welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Glasgow late on a Sunday night, on the eve of COP26 - such an honour. Hosted by the UK Government, the conference aimed to limit further climate change by brokering a deal among the world’s nations to limit emissions, protect communities and habitats, and mobilise finance. A tall order when faced with a plethora of different political positions, challenges and risks.
The Glasgow Climate Pact deal wasn’t perfect. It could have gone further. But it did make progress. The UK Government did its job. The people of Glasgow made many friends.
While COP26 was the top story for the first 2 weeks in November, MSPs were still dealing with thorny issues in Edinburgh.
With NHS Scotland approaching the winter season, the government appears rudderless in the face of staff shortages and record A&E waiting times. Throughout the month, I continued to press the Cabinet Secretary for Health, specifically asking if his plans to support our NHS over the next few months was good enough. He just couldn’t get round to saying, “yes”.
I also challenged the government this month on its resourcing of primary care. GPs are the backbone of NHS Scotland, are under severe pressure and are now interacting with 10% of Scotland’s population each week. Scotland's GP workforce is no higher now than in 2013 - 7 years before the pandemic – and there has been no progress on the government's 2017 plan to add 800 more GPs to Scotland’s workforce. Again, the government lacks a strategy to deal with this.
I also took issue with the government on its reasons for burdening entertainment and sporting businesses with the additional costs of policing their doors by insisting on proof of vaccination before entry. At a time when the First Minister is seriously thinking about extending controls to other areas of our lives, this is very serious. There is no scientific justification,
To paraphrase the revered Lancet journal, showing a Covid passport does not reduce the transmission of Covid. To quote a member of the Scottish Government’s own advisory group, “There is absolutely no evidence that vaccine passports increase the rate of (vaccine) take-up.”
While spending much of November dealing with the government’s failed management of our NHS, there were moments of joy as well as time to reach out and support causes that truly deserve a lot of attention.
In November, of course, we celebrated Diwali 2021 - and like most of you, I was fortunate to spend time with family, friends and colleagues to celebrate the Festival of Lights.
On political business, I pushed for more action on Long Covid. In Scotland, 100,000 people suffer from chronic health conditions following their run-in with this virus. They urgently need specialist treatment centres here in Scotland. Following my lobbying in the summer, the government has committed funding. But there is still no clear delivery plan. Meanwhile, the number of Long Covid patients increases each month.
I was also promoted in Parliament this month the work of Pancreatic Cancer UK. I am committed to raising awareness of a disease that is often diagnosed too late with symptoms that few people recognise.
In November, we heard powerful testimonies in Parliament from women who are suffering from failed vaginal mesh surgery, carried out by NHS Scotland. I’m pushing for these brave women, including those who no longer live in Scotland, to be guaranteed treatment, even overseas, and that the Scottish Government would cover all costs. It’s the least we can do. It’s the right thing to do.
I’m also been exploring ways in which we can tackle tobacco addiction and have spoken with e-cigarette companies. A ban on smoking in Scotland is unlikely any time soon - though we really need to work away at weaning people off cigarettes. As a former surgeon, I've amputated limbs and unclogged arteries - a direct result of smoking.
In Glasgow, I was fortunate to meet with Skills Development Scotland and learn about its work on mentoring young people from being unemployed into paid employment.
I also met with the developer Cala Homes at Pacific Quay to learn more about greening and future-proofing construction. My key lesson was that government and its agencies need to engage more with builders to ensure designers have clear specifications. Right now, there’s quite a gap between the ambitions of politicians and the regulations.
November began with nations of the world gathering in Glasgow to find a common cause in order to tackle the greatest problem facing our world. By the end of last month, Scotland’s leading political parties came together to try and tackle a national scandal: our death toll from drug abuse, at 1,339 last year, remains Europe’s highest.
I’ve been working with Douglas Ross to push the Scottish Conservatives Right to Recovery Bill, which aims to guarantee all drug users a specialist rehabilitation programme. It’s a medical solution to a medical problem. To secure broad support for this bill, our Party is prepared to work with others across the chamber, including the SNP-Green Government.
Thank you for your interest in my work.