HEALTHCARE workers in Scotland have launched a petition calling for the Scottish Government to proved frontline staff with the correct personal protective equipment (PPE).
The petition, set up on Easter Sunday by Dr Shahzad Hanif, has gathered more than 350 signatures so far, including the support of GPs, nurses and care assistants.
The petition comes days after the publication of an open letter signed by more than 100 medical professionals, also put forward by Dr Hanif, raising frontline concerns about PPE provision.
READ MORE: Coronavirus: Scottish NHS staff reveal "grave concerns" about protective equipment
A spokesperson from Scottish Medics has advised the group will meet the interim Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gregor Smith, later this week, after their open letter was raised during a virtual First Minister’s Questions session.
Scottish Labour Health Spokesperson Monica Lennon, has written to the group who spearheaded the petition, Scottish Medics, to support their campaign.
Ms Lennon said: "Frontline health care workers are under unprecedented pressure and their basic right to protective equipment should be guaranteed.
READ MORE: Care workers 'hushed up' over fatal outbreak at Lennoxtown home
“I commend the Scottish Medics group for their service and tenacity, however, it is unacceptable that our health care staff are having to launch petitions and organise meetings with the acting Chief Medical Officer in order to get the correct PPE.”
She added: “The petition also raises concerns for black, Asian and minority ethnic health care workers. The first 10 doctors in the UK named as having coronavirus were all BAME and early data suggests a disproportionate percentage of BAME people are getting ill. This is worrying and needs closer examination.
READ MORE: Coronavirus in Scotland: 'Some signs' hospital cases flattening but situation 'fragile'
“Scottish Labour is strongly in favour of the virtual recall of the Scottish Parliament so that the Scottish Government’s pandemic plan, including PPE provision, can be robustly scrutinised.”
The Scottish Greens have also supported the callsf or more reassurance over PPE.
Scottish Green health spokesperson Alison Johnstone said: “This is another call for help from the frontline of this public health crisis.
"Both NHS and care staff need to have confidence in the provision of personal protective equipment and the guidance on how and when it should be used. It’s clear that still isn’t currently the case."
She added: "After the recent calls from care workers’ trade unions, this petition shows the urgent need for concerns to be addressed by the Scottish Government.
"Whether working in a care home, or visiting a vulnerable person at home, care workers must be provided with appropriate equipment and adequate guidance to keep both themselves and the person they are caring for safe.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a range of aspects, including supplies and distribution, were being monitored.
She added: "We want to make sure everybody has the PPE they need, when they need it. That's an ongoing challenge and an ongoing responsibility.
"There is not a single day that goes by when I, the Health Secretary, the CMO, everybody, is focused on that It involved daily monitoring of a number of different things."
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman added: "I don't expect that during this period that I will ever let up on making sure that we have the right PPE in the right places for the right staff, so that they are safe and those that they are caring for are safe too."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel