The Cabinet Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon, has been telling the Scottish Health Campaign Network that she is unable to deal with matters relating to the outline business case for the Southern General Hospital development because it is in her constituency.

Independent Scrutiny Panels were set up to test the assumptions on which the decisions of NHS Arran & Ayr and NHS Lanarkshire were based,which would have meant the closure of accident and emergency services in those areas.

The scrutiny panels were responsible for the overturning of those decisions.

Strangely,the minister declined to set up an Independent Scrutiny Panel to challenge the assumptions on which the decision to build the largest hospital in the United Kingdom at the Southern General and close the busiest accident and emergency in Glasgow at the Victoria Infirmary.

It would appear there is little or no benefit in having such an influential minister representing the area.

Pat Lally, 2 Tanera Avenue, Glasgow.

Wednesday 30th April 2008

Reproduced with the permission of The Herald, Glasgow © 2008 Herald & Times Group