The Scottish Conservatives have accused the SNP of neglecting Scotland’s ailing NHS in the General Election campaign, to focus on their efforts to break up the UK.
The SNP have already said “page one, line one” of their manifesto will be focused on independence.
At First Minister’s Questions, Douglas Ross raised a Freedom of Information response showing that hundreds of centenarians – people aged over 100 – have been made to wait beyond the target time at A&E departments.
More than 100 of them have waited 12 hours for emergency care since the start of 2023.
The Scottish Conservative leader also cited an audience member in the BBC debate on Tuesday who said her 93-year-old mother waited six hours for an ambulance to arrive and another two hours before being admitted to hospital.
Previous research by the Scottish Conservatives has found that the number of GP appointments per month has fallen by 146,000 in just three years.
And, over the last 10 years, the number of GP practices has fallen in every health board in Scotland. In rural areas, GP practices are shutting at twice the rate.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: “People up and down Scotland are concerned that they can’t get a GP appointment, they can’t get to see a dentist quickly, and they are waiting too long for ambulances.
“Some of the most vulnerable people in the country are being left to wait many hours, well past the NHS target time, for emergency care.
“It is appalling and unacceptable that so many people aged over 100 are having to wait more than half a day to be treated in A&E.
“All the public seem to get from John Swinney and the SNP are excuses.
“We already know that independence will be line one of the SNP’s manifesto, despite Scottish people believing that's the wrong priority.
“How far down his list of priorities is John Swinney going to allow the NHS to slip?
“The SNP manifesto should be focused on improving our NHS so people can get faster GP appointments and be seen quicker at A&E departments.”