Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 1:33 pm on 1 March 2023.
I'd like to wish you and all of my colleagues here in the Chamber and beyond a very, very happy St David's Day. Minister, I know that you've probably heard this line from many of my colleagues over time and over many years, but it's no secret that Labour has sadly been running our NHS into the ground, with nearly 600,000 patients languishing on waiting lists. We also have more than 45,000 people waiting over two years for treatment. Many of those stuck on waiting lists can't take the pain any more and are in fact turning to private healthcare. Quite a few of my constituents, in fact, in south-east Wales are landing themselves in extremely difficult financial situations because they have no choice but to go private. One constituent had to pay privately for a laparoscopy because their mental health was suffering so much as a result of the pain that they were going through on a daily basis. The patient has said, and I quote, 'I am lucky I could do this, although it has left me in £4,000-worth of debt.' Another individual from south-east Wales took out a personal loan for private surgery and then it was discovered that she had stage 4 endometriosis. Unfortunately, she could not afford any further treatment and is still paying off her loan. So, Minister, my question is: what do you say to the patients who are falling into debt and financial difficulty as a direct result of the Welsh Government's failure to address NHS waiting times? Thank you.