Welcome for NHS Scotland’s global health ambition

19 Jun 2018

Mike McKirdy, the Global Health Director of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow has today (Tuesday) welcomed the announcement by the Scottish Government that it has established the Scottish Global Health Co-ordination Unit to support NHS Scotland Global Health work. The Unit aims to provide capacity and expertise to the co-ordination of health partnership work in NHS Scotland, and follows on recommendations made by the College in a report on the issue last year.

Mr McKirdy said:

“It’s fantastic news that NHS Scotland has now established their Global Citizenship Programme, and the Scottish Global Health Co-ordination Unit .

“When the College published our report “Global Citizenship in the Scottish Health Service” last year on the mutual benefits of international volunteering by Scotland’s health service workers, we made the case for a progressive, joined-up approach to this work across the NHS in Scotland. Today’s news sees the realisation of this ambition.

“I’d like to firstly thank all those at NHS Scotland and everyone throughout the Scottish Government for their support in bringing these ideas to fruition. Stuart Fergusson, the co-author of the original report, also deserves huge credit for his work in drawing up the roadmap which underpinned today’s announcement.

“We join with the Scottish Government to ask that all NHS Scotland staff who are involved in global health work sign up as Global Health Champions and register their skills through the new Scottish Global Health website at www.scottishglobalhealth.org.”

Further details of the College’s report, “Global Citizenship in the Scottish Health Service” can be found on our website.

Category: Engagement