Labour MP Dr Zubir Ahmed has criticised the SNP over continuing problems at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, saying years of remedial works and building defects are a symbol of poor management and wasted public money.
Ahmed, a surgeon as well as MP for Glasgow South West, said he had been operating at the hospital until 4am and described the site as resembling "a bomb site" because of the extent of ongoing works.
Responding to an SNP post celebrating 20 years of free eye tests in Scotland, he said:
I wish Alison could have joined me last night with her newly found 20:20 vision when I was operating in the QEUH till 4am, to see how this 'new' hospital resembles a bomb site.
He added:
Every scaffolding stud should be an epitaph to SNP incompetence and addiction to waste.
Hospital has faced years of remedial work
The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital opened in 2015, but has since faced a series of building and safety problems.
The Scottish Government has acknowledged that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has faced "challenges linked to the original build quality", with legal proceedings continuing against the main contractor over significant defects.
Official records show remedial work has included cladding replacement, atrium works and wider campus rectification. Scottish Government allocations for QEUH rectification have run into millions of pounds, although not all spending relates solely to cladding.
Atrium works continuing into late 2026
Work to replace wall linings in the QEUH atrium began in November 2022, with final completion previously scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026.
The hospital has also faced recent concerns over flooring defects, mould, water ingress and associated remedial works. The Scottish Government said earlier this year that individual rooms and clinical areas can be closed while investigations and repairs are carried out.
Public confidence remains an issue
A new oversight group was established this year following evidence heard by the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, with the aim of strengthening safety assurance and restoring public confidence in the hospital environment.
The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry has examined the procurement, design and construction of QEUH, infection-control concerns, whistleblowing and whether remedial actions were adequate.
Labour sharpens attack on SNP record
Ahmed's intervention turns those continuing problems into a broader political attack on the SNP's management of Scotland's health service.
His argument is that a hospital opened little more than a decade ago should not still be dominated by scaffolding, repairs and unresolved questions about construction quality.
For Ahmed, the issue is not simply the inconvenience of ongoing works, but what they represent: years of additional costs and disruption at one of Scotland's most important hospitals.
