We're Doomed - Not.

"Politicians yesterday heaped criticism on a health boss who forecast "unprecedented catastrophe" for humanity and an economic disaster worse than any since the Great Depression. In a report for the Scottish Government, Dr Laurence Gruer, director of NHS Health Scotland, warned of upheaval and ruin ahead as the nation falls victim to the economic downturn. Dr Gruer, Scotland's most senior public health official, told ministers to expect increases in crime, child abuse, obesity, depression and suicide as decades of "have it all" economic policy catch up on the world. "This upheaval can be expected to create changes in socio-economic conditions in Scotland of a magnitude not seen since the early 1980s," he said."

But seriously, these comments seem to sum up the typical attitude of most health professionals in Scotland. They are always on about the risks in public health terms of just about anything, without recognising that Scots are massively better off now than they have ever been in terms of their health and well-being, especially by comparison with 1929. Cheer up Dr Gruer. And give us Scots a break.

Giving Blood.

And our Annabel has been busy according to the Herald Diary, although Mr Smith isn't what the connection is between the founding of the National Health Service and giving blood: "YESTERDAY Annabel was giving a pint of blood, to mark the 60th anniversary of the National Health Service. A member of the Blood Transfusion Service, seeing the assembled press, asked what was happening. A colleague got it slightly wrong when he told her: "Someone from the Tories is celebrating her 60th birthday."

Too many chiefs?

"The taxpayer is paying at least £300,000 a year for a health board's three chief executives - one seconded, one suspended and one standing in for the other two. Under questioning by MSPs yesterday, Dr Kevin Woods, chief executive of NHS Scotland, described the situation at NHS Western Isles as "undesirable and unusual".

"Undesirable and unusual". That's putting it mildly. Given the increases in taxation announced in the Budget yesterday, this situation is symptomatic of how much money is wasted by our public services. But how many Health Board Chief Executives does it take to change a lightblub ...?

On the NHS. Not.

"SCOTLAND'S LARGEST quango is set to use £500,000 of public money to buy health insurance for its staff."

It says it all about the modern NHS in the modern Scotland.

More money than ever before is being on Scotland's NHS, but still major organisations feel the need to give their employees a better deal. But at the expense of the taxpayer, who pays for the lesser service and lumps it?