The Scottish Liberal Democrats has launched its general election campaign with a focus on NHS dentistry as it pledges to tackle Scotland’s dental deserts.
The campaign was launched yesterday (27 May) at a rally in North Queensferry, Scotland. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey told attendees: ‘Getting you fast access to an NHS dentist is at the heart of our offer to voters at this election. A vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to save NHS dentistry.’
The party also accused the UK and Scottish governments of ‘neglecting’ NHS dentistry, leaving millions without access to dental care.
As a result, the Scottish Liberal Democtats have pledged to fix NHS dentistry in Scotland. The plan to do so inlcudes:
- Overhauling the SNP’s ‘failed’ recovery plan
- Prioritising workforce planning and boosting the number of dentists taking on NHS patients
- Speeding up the registration process for qualified overseas dentists.
‘NHS is on its knees’
The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton, joined Davey at the rally. He said: ‘Right here in Fife there isn’t a single NHS dentist currently open to new patients.
‘People are resorting to DIY dentistry and buying tools off Amazon to do the job themselves because they can’t get an NHS dentist. Some Ukrainians have even travelled back to Kyiv for dental care because the air raid sirens, drone strikes and cruise missiles are less daunting than the waits in Scotland’s NHS.
‘The SNP promised to scrap dental charges, but instead they have introduced new charges and doubled the price of some procedures. Dentists are being driven away from the NHS because working with this SNP Government is harder than pulling teeth.’
He added: ‘No matter how much pain you are in, seeing an NHS dentist in Scotland is harder than ever before. It’s a stark reminder of how the SNP make empty promises and can’t get the basics right.
‘Under the SNP the NHS is on its knees, our schools have slipped down the international rankings, and the government-owned water company is dumping sewage on our beaches and in rivers like the Forth.
‘People have had enough and the Scottish Liberal Democrats are on the side of everyone tired of SNP neglect.’
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