A woman has hit out at the Scottish Government after she was informed by letter that she needs to wait another two years for an appointment at a Glasgow hospital.
The NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde letter, dated June 1, states that her appointment to visit the cardiology department at Glasgow Royal Infirmary is on July 3, 2024.
The date means Carol Cunningham, from Dunoon, potentially has to wait four years for a check up, after her original appointment was cancelled during the pandemic, the Scottish Daily Express reports.
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The 64-year-old took to Twitter to call out Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, asking if the two-year wait for an appointment is the "best" the NHS in Scotland can do.
She tweeted: Hi Humza Yousaf I have received this appointment letter - note the date. Yes, 3 July 2024, more than 2 years from now. Is this the best NHS can do for patients? You said yesterday staffing is at record levels - where are they?"
Her tweet has been retweeted over 600 times and likes over 1,500 times, with many assuming that the date she was given is a typo.
One person responded: "It has to be a typo, I notice it's cardiology surely to god it's not correct?"
Another wrote: "I’d phone to ensure it’s not a typing error."
Others shared their disbelief at the date the Dunoon-native was given by NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde.
One wrote: "Where do you live? That's a ridiculous wait. I'm in Glasgow and see a rheumatologist every 3 months."
And a second responded: "That is utterly unacceptable".
In a statement, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "Throughout the pandemic NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde staff have been working tirelessly to provide the highest standard of care to our patients and this remains the case.
"While Covid-19 recovery continues and restrictions continue to be eased, the pressures on all our services are still significant.
"All appointments, including outpatient and routine follow up appointments, are prioritised by clinical need."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “While the pandemic has inevitably led to a backlog, excessively long waits are unacceptable and we note that the health board concerned is urgently looking into this.
