Scotland’s women are being ‘left behind’, Jackie Baillie has warned today, as she told how women are being put through emotional turmoil by being placed on lengthy waiting lists for urgent treatment. 

Jackie Baillie has revealed that she has had several enquiries from people waiting on scans and, after initially being told they will be given appointments within eight weeks, their letter is being followed up just days later by news that they will be waiting for up to 30 weeks.   

Meanwhile a routine colposcopy appointment, a follow-up procedure following abnormal cells being found during routine smear tests, is taking 37 weeks to be carried out in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. 

Following a Freedom of Information request by Jackie Baillie earlier this year, it emerged that women found to have abnormal cells during routine smear tests are facing a postcode lottery for follow-up treatment. 

The average wait for a colposcopy appointment up to the end of last year was anywhere between two and 22 weeks while the longest waits were taking around a year. 

With the latest information from NHSGGC stating that routine colposcopies were taking 37 weeks to be carried out, it appears the situation has worsened. 

In 2021, the longest wait for a colposcopy in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde was 312 days – almost an entire year. 

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s health and social care spokesperson said: “It is unacceptable that women are facing longer waits for follow-up appointments just because of where they live. 

“We cannot have these women being left behind by an out-of-touch SNP government. 

“I have already been contacted by constituents in my area who have been left anxious after attending for a smear test and being told something abnormal has been discovered. 

“They have then been left to wait for months before the follow-up appointment and many have received an initial letter saying this would be fulfilled within eight weeks only to be told shortly after that it will take far longer. This is causing them even more distress. 

“Everyone recognises the importance of attending for screening but shouldn’t be faced with extreme waits for further investigations. 

“Humza Yousaf and Maree Todd need to prioritise action on women’s health as well as properly remobilising our health service to make sure people aren’t getting more ill while waiting to be seen. 

“Women’s health should be a top priority and not an after-thought. The SNP Government shouldn’t be putting women through emotional turmoil having to wait a minute longer than they need to.”