Questions by Plaid Cymru Assembly Member Simon Thomas have revealed recruitment problems at hospitals in Aberystwyth and Haverfordwest.
Mr Thomas also discussed the ongoing problems in securing day and night time paediatric care with Hywel Dda Community Health Council this week.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health Vaughan Gething admits in answering a question on Bronglais Hospital: “Hywel Dda University Health Board is experiencing challenges in recruiting a substantive workforce.”
The Cabinet Secretary on the issue of opening hours of the paediatric care unit in Withybush Hospital, Pembrokeshire adds: “The health board has continued to work hard to attract and recruit suitably qualified staff to join its paediatric medical team, including the launch of a targeted paediatric recruitment strategy in February 2017. Unfortunately, this has not resulted in the recruitment of a sufficient number of consultants to currently support the re-establishment of the 12 hour PACU service.”
Plaid Cymru AM Simon Thomas said: “Wales has one of the lowest number of doctors per head in Europe and some of the worst waiting times for diagnosis and treatment in the UK. It simply is not good enough. People living in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire deserve decent healthcare not a second rate or even third rate services.
“Only Plaid Cymru has a long term solution to the recruitment of health professionals in our hospitals and GP surgeries.
“We have a plan to train and recruit an additional 1000 doctors and 5000 nurses for the Welsh NHS in the next decade. The attitude of the Labour Government fills me with despair.”
