SIMON THOMAS, the Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales, has raised questions about the future of provisions for Doctors in the region in a public meeting held in Tenby. The difficulties in filling GP posts, particularly in Tenby, where four positions have remained empty for 18 months has had a knock-on impact on patients. The meeting, held in December, was attended by many local people including former Doctors and NHS staff, as well as local residents. The Assembly Member told attendees that the currently severe shortage of health professionals in Wales means that we have one of the lowest levels of doctors per head in the whole European Union.
Simon Thomas told the meeting that a Plaid Cymru Welsh Government will train and recruit an additional 1,000 doctors to bring down the desperate waiting times for tests and GP appointments, that are particularly hitting Mid and West Wales. He said: “I am grateful to all those who participated in the meeting including representatives of local GPs and voluntary sector organisations. We must work together to get the best possible solution both for patients and GPs.
“The importance of long term planning for GPs is at the heart of the current predicament. Our plans to secure long term planning have been consistently knocked back by the Labour Party and the Tories, who both claim to be defending the NHS. “People are crying out for competent leadership in order to repair and secure our NHS. There’s currently a ridiculous situation where people feel that they might as well not bother to contact their GP when they are sick because of the long wait for an appointment. This should not be the case, and that is not the aim of the NHS. “The Party of Wales understands that Wales faces many challenges, but we believe there is nothing that cannot be fixed.”
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