The MS for Dwyfor Meirionnydd has spoken of his disappointment that his call to declare a health emergency have been voted down.

Mabon ap Gwynfor made the call in the Senedd yesterday, Wednesday, 7 January, following the release of patient waiting times.

Speaking after the vote, Mr ap Gwynfor MS said he was “very disappointed that the Welsh Labour Government voted against the Plaid Cymru motion urging them to declare a health emergency in Wales. They are simply unwilling to acknowledge and confront the scale of the crisis facing health services right across Wales. People in Dwyfor Meirionnydd and across Wales, whether they be patients, their families or our hardworking NHS staff, deserve so much better.”

Mr ap Gwynfor said record waiting times, unmet diagnosis and treatment targets, people left stranded in A&E, and frontline staff at breaking point were all indicative of a rapidly deteriorating public health crisis. Figures from the Welsh Government for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) which covers his Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency, show an increase in the number of patients waiting to be seen (175,711 up from 171,541). There are now more patients waiting over 62 days to start cancer treatment with only 59 per cent of patients seen within the target time period. A&E waiting times at BCUHB hospitals are also significantly below target. Only 63.6 per cent of A&E patients were seen within four hours despite the Welsh Government target set at 95 per cent. Figures also reveal that only 36 per cent of NHS dental patients were treated in past 24 months, whilst there was an increase in the number of high risk (R1) eye patients waiting for an outpatient appointment.

Mr ap Gwynfor MS added: “Despite the heroic efforts of NHS staff in Dwyfor Meirionnydd and across Wales to give the best care they can under extremely challenging circumstances, the NHS under Labour is on its knees.

“Across my own local health board, waiting times are hitting record highs, targets for diagnosis and treatment are being missed, and more people are being left stranded in our struggling A&E departments.

“Indeed, every single health board in Wales is currently in some form of intervention status, yet the Welsh Labour government seem either indifferent or simply incapable of grasping the stark reality of the crisis facing healthcare in Wales.

“My own casework is inundated with people unable to access key health services such as doctors, dentists or timely outpatient appointments.

“Staff are leaving the profession they saw as their calling, and those who remain are at breaking point.

“I am regularly told of ambulances waiting outside hospitals for hours on end or being diverted miles away from their normal working area, further depriving local communities of a safe and timely emergency response.

“For the sake of preventing a total collapse of our precious NHS, the Welsh Government must acknowledge the scale of the systematic issues facing it.

“Whilst Wales’ financial settlement from Westminster is blatantly insufficient, the Labour Welsh government cannot simply absolve itself from responsibility when it comes to mismanaging our NHS.

“People across Dwyfor Meirionnydd and Wales deserve better than a government in complete denial and unable to face up to the severity of the situation.

“I urge the Labour Welsh government to recognise that health services in my constituency and across Wales are in crisis and acknowledge this by declaring an immediate health emergency.

“In the interest of patient safety, staff welfare, and the long-term viability of our NHS, we need clear direction and strategy. Simply throwing money at the problem with no definitive plan simply won’t suffice.”