IN a recent article in the press, Labour health spokesperson Monica Lennon aimed ignorant and dangerous comments at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital.

The Golden Jubilee, which is in my constituency of Clydebank and Milngavie, is one of the finest hospitals in the UK. Health professionals from the Golden Jubilee were part of the team that developed a ground-breaking treatment pathway for heart attack patients which has been shared throughout the UK and has been recognised with a national innovation award.

The vital work of the dedicated staff at the Golden Jubilee will be enhanced and extended on the completion of the new expansion, which will provide 320 new jobs. It is important to stress that these are completely new jobs, not transfers from other areas.

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Tens of thousands of lives have been saved as a result of the methods, research and innovation developed at the Golden Jubilee.

The hospital has one of the best records anywhere, and experts from all over the world learn from their techniques in treating heart attack victims.

To suggest otherwise could not be farther from the truth. It is a travesty that, for whatever reason, Labour have sought to damage the reputation of this fine medical establishment.

When Labour make these horrendous misrepresentations of the truth, they bring confusion and uncertainty for people who are already traumatised by being in the midst of a heart attack. The effect of ignorant opinion is to make patients even more frightened and confused, which could result in them delaying reporting of the heart attack. When it comes to heart attack, speed by first responders is crucial for a good outcome. This unjustified attack by Labour is putting lives at risk.

The Labour Party should apologise for their gross error of judgement in attacking this hospital (which has an impeccable record) for no reason whatsoever.

Gil Paterson
MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie

I’VE spent the last two days at the bedside of a dying relative in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH).

My relative, an old lady, received the best of treatment and respectful attention from the staff at the hospital. The nurses looking after her in A&E were most definitely angels. Nothing was too much bother for them, even down to looking after us visitors.

The hospital was amazing, and we were never once asked to show whether or not we could afford to pay for this optimum treatment. All the stops were pulled out to keep Betty comfortable and alive.

My heart is overflowing with wonder and gratitude towards the staff at the ARU within the QEUH.

Betty died despite every effort made to save her but I will never be able to thank the nurses and doctors at the QEUH enough for their wonderful care and attention.

They respected Betty’s life and dignity to the end.

Betty thought of emigrating many years ago, but when the end came thank God she was here in Scotland, where every effort was made to save her life and preserve her dignity, and no need to show a cheque book.

My eternal gratitude to all concerned at the QEUH. You made a sad time easier to bear and left me in awe of your dedication and humanity.

Grace Dunn
Glasgow

THE environment hustings I attended in Peebles on Tuesday was well supported, with more than 75 people there.

All the aspiring MPs were there, except for the incumbent Conservative and Unionist Mundell, who sent an MSP rather than be the empty-chaired candidate.

It was noticeable that, although it avoided discussing Brexit, candidates did not have practical proposals to address the climate emergency.

It was also worrying that much of the debate was not about reserved (Westminster) matters, but rather devolved Holyrood policies.

Although this Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale constituency vote is more a tactical decision, I hope National readers will make all their candidates address the most important issue that is our environment.

Norman Lockhart
Innerleithen

I WATCHED an American senator on TV a few nights ago fulminating about the fact that US citizens pay more for drugs than UK patients, sometimes a hundred times more.

Scandalous as this is, there is a significant fact which is being, possibly deliberately, overlooked. Why was a supposed representative of the interests of his US constituents not complaining that the price in America is criminally exorbitant?

Pfizer recently announced that their CEO had received a 60% pay rise, taking his annual remuneration to more than $27 million!

The United States of America desperately needs to clear out its own midden before it sticks its neb into anybody else’s!

Les Hunter
Lanark