By Editor,Graham Grant
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Doctors’ leader warns Scottish NHS is ‘dying before our eyes’
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By GRAHAM GRANT FOR THE SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL
Published: 20:02 BST, 28 September 2025 | Updated: 20:02 BST, 28 September 2025
THE NHS in Scotland is ‘dying before our eyes’ and no longer meets the needs of the population, a senior doctor has warned.
Dr Iain Kennedy, chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA) in Scotland, said the ‘system is broken’ and many medics have lost ‘pride’ in the service.
He said the NHS had been turned into a ‘political football’ while immigration was heaping pressure on hospitals and GPs because of translation costs.
Dr Kennedy said many Scots were paying for private care after failing to get prompt state-funded treatment, with waiting times of up to six weeks for life-threatening cancers.
The intervention is one of the most outspoken by the BMA –and reflects rapidly deteriorating relations between the workforce and SNP ministers.
In an interview with the Herald on Sunday, Dr Kennedy, a Highland GP, said patients are dying unnecessarily because of delays and warned of a ‘toxic culture’ of cover-up and a collapse in public confidence in the NHS.
Dr Iain Kennedy, chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA) in Scotland, delivered a damning verdict on the state of the NHS
He said Scotland lacks ‘at least 1,000’ GPs and 1,000 hospital consultants, adding: ‘To be frank, the system is broken. The NHS in Scotland is dying before our eyes.
‘We’ve lost the founding principle of the NHS – that it’s free at the point of delivery – as many people are having to go private and they’re not happy about that.
‘We no longer meet the needs and demands of the population.’ Dr Kennedy added: ‘I don’t think there are many doctors – and there are 17,000 of my members in Scotland – who will say they’re proud of the NHS overall.
‘The NHS is managerially led, rather than doctor-led. It’s become politicised. It’s a political football now. Our patients are frustrated, angry and struggling to get GP appointments.
‘We have something seriously wrong with NHS culture. Doctors tell me they experience bullying from managers, and their mental health is questioned.’
Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: ‘Under the stewardship of the SNP, our NHS is in permanent crisis mode and it’s clear the situation is worsening.
‘My colleagues in the BMA have been very clear that unless drastic action is taken then the existence of the NHS as we know it is under threat.’
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Doctors’ leader warns Scottish NHS is ‘dying before our eyes’
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