Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas RossImage caption: Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross
Douglas Ross tells the chamber the Target Ovarian Cancer charity say Scotland has one of the worst survival rates in Europe.
The Scottish Tory leader asks what people are meant to do if they can't afford to leave Scotland for private treatment.
Background: Cancer treatment waiting times in Scotland
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
One in four cancer patients across Scotland are waiting too long for treatment, new figures show.
Data from Public Health Scotland (PHS) disclosed that between April and June 2023 only 74% of patients with an urgent suspicion of cancer started treatment within 62 days, the Times reported.
It represents an improvement on cancer wait times when they were reported earlier this year and almost three in 10 patients were waiting more than the 62 day target.
The new figures come weeks after it was revealed 1,700 cancer sufferers had turned to private hospitals for chemotherapy, which Anas Sarwar quizzed the First Minister on at the time.
FM says cancer patient's three-month wait was 'unacceptable'
BBCCopyright: BBC
Humza Yousaf says no-one should have to leave Scotland for treatmentImage caption: Humza Yousaf says no-one should have to leave Scotland for treatment
"Nobody should have to feel the only option is to pay privately, to go anywhere else outside of Scotland for cancer treatment," replies the first minister.
Humza Yousaf says the patient's ordeal was "unacceptable".
He points out that 94.7% of women with ovarian cancer in Scotland are receiving their first treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat it.
Cancer treatment waiting times raised by Scottish Tory leader
The Scottish Tory leader begins by saying a woman from Lanarkshire has spoken out to describe her ordeal when she was diagnosed with cancer.
Margaret McCaul faced a three-month wait for NHS treatment, so she used £27,000 to go privately in England.
Douglas Ross asks the first minister if she was right when she said she shouldn't have had to go elsewhere.
FMQs begins
Humza Yousaf is poised and back in his seat, having missed last week's exchanges because he was in New York.
Douglas Ross gets to his feet and FMQs begins.
What's been making the headlines this week?
It's been another busy week in Scottish politics, so here's a flavour of what has been dominating the headlines.
The plan has faced widespread criticism due to its impact on climate change, though many people welcomed the jobs that would come with the project.
BPCopyright: BP
Equinor hope to develop Rosebank close to BP's Clair Ridge development (pictured) which has been in operation since 2018Image caption: Equinor hope to develop Rosebank close to BP's Clair Ridge development (pictured) which has been in operation since 2018
The first minister was in New York last Thursday, but returns to the political fray todayImage caption: The first minister was in New York last Thursday, but returns to the political fray today
Good morning and
welcome to our live coverage of First Minister's Questions, with Humza Yousaf returning to the hot seat today.
We'll bring you the
action live from Holyrood, with updates and analysis.
FMQs gets under way
at noon. You can watch live from the chamber by clicking the play icon at the
top of this page.
Live Reporting
BBC Scotland News
All times stated are UK
Ross presses FM on ovarian cancer waiting times
Douglas Ross tells the chamber the Target Ovarian Cancer charity say Scotland has one of the worst survival rates in Europe.
The Scottish Tory leader asks what people are meant to do if they can't afford to leave Scotland for private treatment.
Background: Cancer treatment waiting times in Scotland
One in four cancer patients across Scotland are waiting too long for treatment, new figures show.
Data from Public Health Scotland (PHS) disclosed that between April and June 2023 only 74% of patients with an urgent suspicion of cancer started treatment within 62 days, the Times reported.
It represents an improvement on cancer wait times when they were reported earlier this year and almost three in 10 patients were waiting more than the 62 day target.
The new figures come weeks after it was revealed 1,700 cancer sufferers had turned to private hospitals for chemotherapy, which Anas Sarwar quizzed the First Minister on at the time.
FM says cancer patient's three-month wait was 'unacceptable'
"Nobody should have to feel the only option is to pay privately, to go anywhere else outside of Scotland for cancer treatment," replies the first minister.
Humza Yousaf says the patient's ordeal was "unacceptable".
He points out that 94.7% of women with ovarian cancer in Scotland are receiving their first treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat it.
Cancer treatment waiting times raised by Scottish Tory leader
The Scottish Tory leader begins by saying a woman from Lanarkshire has spoken out to describe her ordeal when she was diagnosed with cancer.
Margaret McCaul faced a three-month wait for NHS treatment, so she used £27,000 to go privately in England.
Douglas Ross asks the first minister if she was right when she said she shouldn't have had to go elsewhere.
FMQs begins
Humza Yousaf is poised and back in his seat, having missed last week's exchanges because he was in New York.
Douglas Ross gets to his feet and FMQs begins.
What's been making the headlines this week?
It's been another busy week in Scottish politics, so here's a flavour of what has been dominating the headlines.
The oil and gas sector came to the fore as the controversial Rosebank offshore development off Shetland was granted consent by regulators.
The plan has faced widespread criticism due to its impact on climate change, though many people welcomed the jobs that would come with the project.
The UK's first official consumption room for illegal drugs including heroin and cocaine was approved by authorities in Glasgow.
Hundreds of schools in Scotland are closed as support staff enter a third day of a three-day strike in 24 of the country's 32 councils.
It emerged more than half of the NHS buildings in Scotland which are suspected to contain a potentially dangerous form of concrete had not been fully inspected.
And last night former SNP minister Fergus Ewing was suspended from the party for a week after a disciplinary vote by MSPs.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of First Minister's Questions, with Humza Yousaf returning to the hot seat today.
We'll bring you the action live from Holyrood, with updates and analysis.
FMQs gets under way at noon. You can watch live from the chamber by clicking the play icon at the top of this page.