Using the latest technology will help ensure Scotland’s NHS “delivers for generations come”, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said.
He claimed that under the SNP Government the health service has remained “stuck in the analogue age” – but pledged to change that if he becomes first minister.
A Labour government would roll out an NHS app to patients right across Scotland within its first 100 days, Mr Sarwar vowed.
The Scottish Government has previously come under fire for lagging behind England – where a patient app has been in place since 2019 – but Health Secretary Neil Grey has said Scotland’s NHS MyCare app will be “the most comprehensive app on these islands”.
Labour is also pledging to invest in AI-enabled MRI and CT scanners to replace “ageing” diagnostic equipment – with the party claiming this will help detect a range of diseases, including cancer, much earlier.
In addition, Mr Sarwar wants to expand the NHS-approved use of wearable technology, helping patients monitor their condition while also providing improved data for clinicians, which can in turn lead to better care.
Speaking about Labour’s plans in the run-up to the May 7 Holyrood election, Mr Sarwar said: “Scotland’s NHS has remained stuck in the analogue age for far too long.
“It is clear to everyone that the NHS under the SNP is broken. We have spiralling waiting lists forcing people to spend their hard-earned savings on private operations, patients left in corridors and ambulances queued outside A&Es.
The SNP has had 20 years and Scotland has paid the price, so give me 5 to fix the mess, get the basics right and build a better future for Scotland. #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/CNe2jWv28b
— Anas Sarwar (@AnasSarwar) April 23, 2026
“Scottish Labour will deliver an NHS that is there when you need it, we will end the 8am rush for a GP appointment and bring back the family doctor.
As first minister, I will make it a priority to fix our NHS and one of the key ways of doing that is by embracing new technology to get people faster diagnosis and faster treatment.
“Scottish Labour will roll out new AI-enabled scanners which will use the latest technology to deliver quicker results and increase the number of appointments available.
“Many other aspects of our NHS also need to be brought into the 21st century and we will use the kind of technology so many of us are now routinely using in our daily lives.
“Modernisation by embracing the latest technology is key to ensuring our NHS delivers for generations to come.”
Clare Haughey, SNP candidate for Rutherglen and Cambuslang, said: “Under John Swinney’s leadership, the SNP is relentlessly focused on improving Scotland’s NHS and the results are clear – waiting times are down, operation numbers up and GP numbers up.
“We are now opening up GP walk-in clinics all over Scotland, have unveiled plans to introduce new one-stop shops offering health ‘MOTs’ and for a health and social care app.
“Anas Sarwar is good at making promises he can’t keep, but is yet to answer how he plans to do all this whilst slashing £1 billion from NHS budgets, as analysis showed this week.”