The cervical cancer screening scandal proves the need for the Scottish Government to urgently appoint a patient champion who will promote the needs of ordinary people, the Lib Dems have said.
It comes after a woman died after being “incorrectly excluded” from the cervical cancer screening programme - with the news only being released by SNP ministers on the last day of the parliamentary term in June.
Women’s health minister Maree Todd told MSPs that an audit had discovered a "very small number of women" had developed cervical cancer after being "wrongly excluded" from the screening programme following a hysterectomy.
Lib Dem health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton has now urged ministers to speed up the appoint of a new independent figure to champion the cause of patients.
It is almost a year since cross-party agreement was struck on the need to appoint a Patient Safety Commissioner, but the Scottish Government still hasn't announced a date for when this will be established.
Cole-Hamilton said: "Scottish ministers chose not to disclose the serious failures in cervical cancer screening for months.
"Jason Leitch confirmed it was a political decision to only reveal what had happened at the last possible moment on the last day of the parliamentary term.
"Women have been failed. Thousands will be reeling at this news. They deserved to know about the risk to their health months ago.
"This shows why there needs to be an independent commissioner with the power to stand up for patients in the face of such decisions and daunting systems. They would be able to stand up for these women, and others including the women left in constant pain by mesh implants and the families affected by the devastating hospital contamination scandal.
"There is an urgent need for a powerful independent figure to champion the rights of patients, listen to the valuable insight that they can bring and secure improvements to safety and treatment.
"It has already been almost a year since cross-party agreement was struck. The government must now get on with it and announce when this will happen."
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Patient Safety Commissioner will focus on ensuring that the voice of patients is taken into account In the Scottish Healthcare system and particularly within the safety system.
“However it is vital that we listen to the views of patients and members of the public about what exactly they want from a Patient Safety Commissioner, and what that role should look like.
“That is why we conducted a public consultation which was published on 5 March and ran for 12 weeks. The consultation responses are currently being analysed.
“Our commitment to patient safety has been, and remains, key to delivering healthcare”.
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