Refugee, 7, returns to Ukraine for dental treatment due to waiting times in Scotland
A refugee who fled Ukraine has returned to her birth country to undergo dental treatment due to long waiting times in Scotland.
Lisa, who is 7 years old, has been living in Aberdeenshire with her mother, Oksana Martirosova, since September 2022. The duo recently returned to Ukraine via Poland so that Lisa could have some of her teeth extracted under general anaesthetic.
Oksana took the decision to fly to Poland then tackle a 15-hour coach ride to Kyiv because her daughter was in severe pain and the waiting lists for treatment on the NHS in Scotland were too long. Oksana said that she couldn’t watch Lisa suffering any longer and that it wasn’t fair for her to take antibiotics for months. She explained that in Ukraine, Lisa would have received urgent treatment either on the same day or the next day.
Michael Marra, Labour MSP, said that Lisa’s story was shocking and highlighted the severity of the crisis facing dental and medical patients in Scotland. He criticised the health secretary, Humza Yousaf, and called for immediate action to improve access to NHS services. He added that it was unacceptable that people are willing to travel to war-torn countries because they can’t get the treatment they need closer to home.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said that the NHS is facing significant pressures and teams are doing their best to clear backlogs and cope with a huge surge in the demand for healthcare services.
For more news click here.
Join this Discussion