A TORY MSP has been panned after claiming that Scotland is “not an attractive place to live” during an interview.
During an appearance on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, Sandesh Gulhane was asked about figures which show annual spending on NHS temporary staff in Scotland has risen to a record high of more than £560 million.
The Scottish Government has said the workforce is the “most important asset of the NHS” and that staffing had grown by more than 17% in the last decade.
Gulhane accused the SNP of “complete mismanagement” when it came to workforce planning.
Tory MSP Sandesh 'car crash' Gulhane has claimed that it's straightforward for foreign doctors & nurses to come to the UK but that they don't want to come to Scotland because "Scotland is not an attractive place". Why did Gulhane move here from south of the border then? pic.twitter.com/07LlBzTcua
— MSM Monitor (@msm_monitor) June 7, 2023
Later on in the interview, the MSP was asked if staffing issues were down to Brexit. He replied: “We’ve seen record numbers of people coming into this country and there is an easy way for us to be able to get more staff in.
“What we need to be clear about is that people who come to this country don’t seem to want to come to Scotland, they don’t seem to want to come here and work.”
Asked once again about Brexit and its impact on the NHS workforce, Gulhane said there was “an opportunity to get people from around the world to come with their skills and work in Scotland”.
He added: “When you’re a skilled worker and you would like to come here, so doctors and nurses, and you want to come to this country to work, coming here is pretty straightforward.
“We have visas and we have the ability for people to come here but people are choosing not to come to Scotland.
“Net migration is up but that is in England and Scotland is simply not an attractive place. Why is that? It’s the nationalist, SNP government that don’t make this place attractive for other people.
“They’ve made us feel all insular and inward-looking.”
Asked if Brexit had not had a similar effect, the Tory MSP added: “This is down to the SNP not managing our health service properly.
“Brexit was a free vote across the country, a million Scots voted for Brexit. The SNP didn’t exactly campaign very hard to try prevent that from happening.”
Commenting, SNP MSP Karen Adam said: “The Scottish Tories have some brass neck to talk about unattractive and unwelcoming societies, when their Brexit-obsessed bosses at Westminster have created an environment so hostile that their very own Home Secretary has legislated to deport asylum seekers back to the very lands they’re fleeing persecution.
“Scotland is a fantastic place to live with a rich history, breath-taking scenery, and a society that champions inclusivity, diversity and compassion; disparaging comments that suggest otherwise do a great disservice to everyone who lives here.
“Only with the powers of independence can Scotland break free of the Tory government’s small-minded, tight-fisted control, and build a society that upholds equality and justice for all.”
Many also took to Twitter to criticise Gulhane for his comments about Scotland, with one describing the interview as a “car crash”.
Another said the comments were “outrageous” while a third commented that the interview was “excruciatingly awful”.
Somebody else commented that it was not a fair view of Scotland which was a “beautiful, friendly and welcoming” place.
