Dumfriesshire MSP Oliver Mundell is calling on the Scottish Government to take urgent action to ensure that NHS staff sickness rates in Dumfries and Galloway do not continue to rise.
New figures show that staff sickness levels in the region are at 5.08% for 2016 so far which is significantly higher than the governments national target of 4%, which was missed in every Health Board across Scotland.
Commenting Oliver Mundell MSP said: “The government need to recognise that this is a serious problem and that there is a growing concern here in Dumfries and Galloway that NHS staff are being over stretched.
“Whilst I have complete respect for the incredible job our NHS staff do on a daily basis, the Scottish Government need to ensure that the absence rates are reduced as a matter of urgency.
“More resources need to be put in place across our region and across Scotland so that taxpayers in this constituency aren’t footing the bill when agency staff need to be hired to fill absences for staff who are sick.
“For every health board in the country to be failing to meet Government targets should be a serious wake up call for the government.”
