Tag: Foysol Choudhury MSP

Choudhury: Fight goes on for equality on International Women’s Day

Responding to this year’s 2023 International Women’s Day, Foysol Choudhury MSP said: “International Women’s Day is a wonderful celebration dating back over 100 years. It is a chance to celebrate women’s achievements and raise awareness of the continued fight for equality. 

“International Women’s Day highlights the ever-evolving issues women have faced: voting rights, equality in the workplace and under the law and changing social attitudes. 

“It is important that we also use International Women’s Day to highlight the experience of women from a diverse range of backgrounds.   

“For example, in Ukraine, we are seeing women struggle disproportionately with human trafficking when being displaced. This is something I have addressed in the Scottish Parliament’s debate marking a year of war in Ukraine.  

“In 2022, I spoke to the Scottish Parliament about the importance of creating opportunities that specifically target women from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds to get involved in sport, as hostility and abuse within sport can lead to low-levels of participation from BAME women and girls. 

“For International Women’s Day 2023, I spoke in the Scottish Parliament debate on Wednesday to address how women from ethnic minorities can face overlapping systems of discrimination: both racism and misogyny. 

“Many women from ethnic minorities experience misogyny in different ways and we need to recognise this multiplicity of experience in order to tackle misogyny.  

“I am also particularly worried about the treatment of women when wearing items such as the hijab. Many Muslim women wear these as a sign of modesty and faith, but in the UK they have been met with violence and harassment. 

“I’ve even heard cases of women avoiding train stations in fear that someone would push them on to the tracks. 

“International Women’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to make efforts to combat these issues.  

“There are already tracks being made on some of these issues, for example Scottish Rugby recently announced a system was being put in place to allow concerns to be raised over racism and misogyny.  

“This can’t be the end point, however. The commitment to these underrepresented women needs to remain a core element of all sports, and indeed all sectors, across Scotland.  

“The involvement of ethnic and religious minority women to the same level as everyone else needs to happen before Scotland can confidently say it is a diverse and accepting nation with equality for all.” 

40% of children leave primary school education unable to swim

Labour list MSP for Lothian region Foysol Choudhury returned to the Public Petitions Committee yesterday to continue his support for a local constituent, Lewis Condy, who is highlighting the importance of children having access to swimming lessons.

His petition was last discussed in November last year when the Committee decided to write to key write to key sector organisations to gather more information. 

The Committee heard evidence that over 40% of children leave primary education unable to swim and that there is a direct correlation between a child’s social and economic background and their opportunity to learn to swim.

Mr Choudhury said: “We know that having access to swimming lessons gives people a benefit to their safety in and around water, and to their health, fitness and wellbeing.

“The Committee has heard that there are significant gaps in the provision of swimming lessons with the availability of facilities and the cost of lessons being significant factors driving unequal access.

“Resolving these inequalities is a matter of equality opportunity.

“Currently, there is no statutory curriculum for learning to swim in Scotland.

“We have seen from the responses to my constituent’s petition, there is widespread support within the sector and from the public for doing more on this issue.

“I am delighted that the Committee has agreed to keep this petition open and write to Scottish Government to find out how they intend to proceed.

Fellow Labour committee member Paul Sweeney MSP said: “Teaching kids to swim is a fundamental lifesaving exercise. 

“It is not a recreational activity, necessarily.  I think it’s important to consider it as a public safety matter rather than a sporting matter”. 

To see a video of the discussion please click here

To access the petition information click here

Choudhury: NHS Lothian ‘in crisis’

ANOTHER WEEK OF ‘SHOCKING’ A & E FIGURES RECORDED

Lothian MSP Foysol Choudhury has warned that  NHS Lothian is in crisis as another week of dismal A&E figures has been recorded.

Statistics published yesterday show that only 64.8 per cent of attendances in NHS Lothian at A&E in the week ending 31st October were seen within four hours.

  • 363 patients spent over eight hours in A&E, with 132 waiting over 12 hours.
  • 1,504 patients waited over 4 hours.  
  • These are among the worst weekly A&E times on record for NHS Lothian.

Scottish Labour MSP Foysol Choudhury said: “Yet another week of shocking statistics showing the reality of SNP mismanagement of our NHS.

“Lothian patients are in dire need of medical help and they are not receiving the swift attention they deserve. These are truly shocking figures that show once again just how out of depth the SNP Health Secretary Humza Yousef is.

“The SNP has left NHS doctors and nurses over-worked, under-staffed and under-resourced – and it is patients who are paying the price.’’

‘Catastrophic failure’: Lothian MSP comments on A & E crisis

NHS Lothian has warned patients not to attend A&E unless their condition was life-threatening.

It comes after statistics published this week have revealed the worst weekly A&E statistics on record. 

Chief executive of NHS Lothian, Calum Campbell, said a request has been submitted for mutual aid from other health boards after services became caught in the grip of a “perfect storm” caused by staffing and bed pressures, combined with high volumes of patients presenting with complex and serious cases.

Lothian list Labour MSP Foysol Choudhury said: “Patients in the Lothians are being put in danger due to the SNP’s catastrophic failure to support A&E services.’’

‘’Lives are on the line and the Health Secretary’s current strategy is clearly not dealing whatsoever with this crisis.’’

‘’ The NHS is under-resourced, under-staffed and under pressure, and the Scottish Government must fund the NHS properly so that people can access care and treatment at A&E when they need it.’’

“If action is not taken now, we risk a winter of chaos in A&E departments across the Lothians.