Scotland’s NHS faces a critical future: the British Medical Association (BMA) has warned it may not survive another year without urgent reforms. It has stressed the need for transformative changes to maintain the NHS’s founding principle of free care at the point of need. BMA chairman Dr Iain Kennedy described the system as 'in constant crisis’, with understaffed facilities leaving doctors physically and mentally exhausted. A recent survey revealed 99% of doctors are deeply concerned about increasing pressures, with many reporting dangerously overcrowded emergency departments and unsustainable workloads. Dr Kennedy called for a comprehensive workforce plan, long-term funding strategies, and integrated approaches to primary, secondary, and social care. Without reform, more people may be forced into private healthcare or left without access to necessary treatment. The Scottish government acknowledged the concerns, proposing record investments in health and social care. See also