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The SNP Group on East Dunbartonshire Council welcomes the announcement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health & Well-being that the planned closures of A&E facilities at Monklands and Ayr Hospitals are to be reversed in line with SNP manifesto commitments, and believes that the right decision has been taken for the local communities in these areas.
We are confident that Ms Sturgeon will agree that the community here deserves the same consideration, also in line with the specific commitment given by the party's then health spokesperson, now the Minister for Public Health, quoted in the Kirkintilloch Herald on 7th March: "The SNP do not want any further reduction in services to take place at Stobhill Hospital. We are committed to retaining Stobhill as a small general hospital attached to the ACAD with a casualty unit and an appropriate number of inpatient beds."
The Group stands fully by that commitment, and calls on the Cabinet Secretary to confirm that it is no less binding than those given to Monklands and Ayr.
Ms Sturgeon has said she is "determined to work with local people to ensure they can have full confidence in the range of services provided locally". That too is a welcome statement and, as part of the process of building confidence, we are also calling on her to meet with the community to discuss how the commitment to Stobhill will be taken forward.
Author : Cllr. Gordan Low, Depute SNP Group Leader, East Dunbartonshire Council
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