Hamilton by-election: Why we should always vote like our lives depend on it

Royal College of Radiologists warns Scotland needs to recruit more specialist doctors to ensure ‘safe and effective’ care for cancer patients

As voters prepare to elect a new MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, a new report provided a timely reminder of what is at stake when we make our cross on a ballot paper.

The Royal College of Radiologists has warned that there were too few radiologists last year to ensure “safe and effective” care for cancer patients, whose risk of death can increase by 10 per cent for every month that treatment is delayed.

Without action to recruit more doctors, Scotland’s current 25 per cent shortfall of radiologists is set to rise to 35 per cent by 2029 and a 19 per cent shortfall of oncologists is expected to hit 31 per cent, the report warned.

READ MORE: Shocking waiting list rises show SNP's warm words aren't fixing the NHS

Catching and treating cancer quickly can save lives | Getty Images

‘Ticking time bomb’

Dr Katharine Halliday, president of the college, said: “... the outlook is bleak. We are doing all we can to boost productivity, but there’s a limit to how far we can go. The reality is we simply don’t have enough staff. Any credible plan to cut waiting lists relies on having the headcount to meet the demand we face today, let alone tomorrow.

“The longer we delay action, the worse it gets. The government must train up more radiologists and oncologists to defuse this ticking time bomb for cancer diagnosis and treatment.”

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This is why Scotland needs politicians, both in government and in opposition, who are focussed, not on culture war issues of one kind or another, but on what are sometimes called ‘bread and butter’ issues. This is something of a misnomer given that they can be – as in the case of the NHS – matters of life and death.

And of course, the potential number of doctors is linked to the quality of education in Scotland’s schools and universities, and the provision of public funding for that education relies on the revenues created by a healthy economy.

So if we have any advice for voters going to the polls, today and in the future, it is to consider which candidates have the best ideas about and the greatest commitment to solving this country’s most pressing problems, and remember that, on this judgment, your life may one day depend.