Health Minister “missing in action” as frontline NHS staff front up

Welsh Government “not powerless to act” – yet Health Minister “no-where to be seen” – Rhun ap Iorwerth MS

The Health Minister has been accused of going “missing in action” by Plaid Cymru.

Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for health and care, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS has said that “urgent and decisive” action is required by Welsh Government, yet the Health Minister is “no-where to be seen.”

The calls come as the Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation has described the NHS as being “on a knife edge” in terms of its ability to cope with the “highest levels of pressure.”

Despite the BBC running three separate stories on the crisis in the NHS over the last 24 hours, the Health Minister Eluned Morgan has not provided a response to the stories, nor has she appear in any interviews.

In the last Questions to the Health Minister during the final Plenary of 2022, Eluned Morgan had expressed “hope” that the NHS would improve by the time the Senedd met again next week to which Mr ap Iorwerth had said “the NHS isn't going to overcome its problems if the Minister simply hopes for the best.”

Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for health and care, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said,

“When experts are using terms like ‘knife-edge’ and ‘breaking point’ to describe the critical state that the NHS in Wales is in, it requires an urgent and decisive response from Welsh Government. Yet our Health Minister – who at the very least should be visible – is no-where to be seen.

“Our heroic health and care workers, who are not only dealing with extreme pressures from increased demand and staff shortages, are now having to front up for TV interviews. Meanwhile the Health Minister is missing in action.

“It is not good enough for Welsh Government to lay the blame on UK Government – while it’s true that Westminster holds the purse strings, Welsh Government is not powerless to act. Plaid Cymru has long been calling on them to use all the levers at their disposal to do something – anything – to show they are listening and that our NHS is a priority for them.”