THREE Scottish Health boards have been successful in their request for military assistance.
The Scottish Government today confirmed that they have approved military assistance for NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Grampian and NHS Lanarkshire.
Support from the service personnel was requested by the local health boards to help manage increasing pressures in the wake of growing hospitalisations.
They will begin inductions at the boards in January after the MACA (Military Assistance for Civilian Authorities) support was approved by the Scottish Government.
READ MORE: Scotland records more than 6,000 new Covid cases as Omicron cases double overnight
Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf said: "The emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is adding to the winter pressures usually faced by the NHS which is why boards, like their counterparts across the UK, have requested military support to complement our existing resources.
"I’m grateful to military personnel for their efforts at this time, along with all frontline staff in our NHS for the vital role they play in help keeping us safe.
"At this time, it is also particularly important that we continue to take all precautions to prevent transmission. So, test regularly for the virus, limit socialising in the run up to Christmas, wear face marks where required and open windows to improve ventilation.”
NHS Ayrshire & Arran will receive 20 service personnel for six weeks.
NHS Grampian will receive 38 service personnel for four weeks, and NHS Lanarkshire will receive 32 personnel for four weeks, with military inductions into the local health boards starting from January 7.
It comes at a time when Scotland has reported a record number of Covid cases in a 24-hour period, as well as daily Omicron cases doubling overnight.
According to the Scottish Government’s daily publication of Covid-19 statistic, 6,215 cases and 11 deaths have been recorded.
A total of 674 people have tested positive for the Omicron variant.
Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf has also faced pressure from party opposition for the deteriorating A&E waiting time figures.
READ MORE: MSPs slate Humza Yousaf's 'failings' as A&E waiting times hit another low
The latest figures for November and December show that nearly a third of A&E patients in the country have had to wait longer than the Scottish Government’s target time of four hours. A total of 69.7 per cent of patients were seen within that time.
For the remaining 30.3 per cent, 7,285 people waited longer than four hours before they were attended to, including 1,803 who had to wait more than eight hours, and 598 who were left waiting for more than 12 hours.
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