Our health is too important to leave to chance

Stephen McNamara · 8 November 2026

Responding to: East Ayrshire poor health burden forecast to rise by up to 20 per cent (Cumnock Chronicle)

The Cumnock Chronicle reports a forecast that the burden of poor health in East Ayrshire could rise by up to 20 per cent. That is a sobering headline for every family in our area.

Our health is essential. Without it, nothing else works. We can't hold down a job, look after our children or care for our parents if we're unwell and can't get help. So a forecast like this should make all of us stop and ask what is being done about it.

I believe every person needs access to real medical help when they are ill, and just as importantly, help to stop problems before they start. Prevention is far better than waiting until people are seriously unwell.

I also believe healthcare is far too important to be left in the hands of government alone. Access to healthcare is a human right. It must be universal, and it should never be obstructed by poor administration, long delays or decisions made far away from the people they affect.

Too many people locally already tell me how hard it can be to get an appointment or get answers. If this forecast is right, those pressures will only grow unless something changes. Have GP Surgeries never heard of this old fashioned thing called a diary? The hundreds of hours wasted every single day just to get through and be told you can't get an appointment is absolutely ridiculous.

I want to hear directly from residents about their experience of getting care in our area, and I'll push for clear answers about how services are being planned for the years ahead. People deserve to know what is coming and what is being done.

If you have a story about getting healthcare locally, good or bad, please get in touch. I'd like to hear it.