The Scottish Government has revealed that costs for Aberdeen’s delayed new cancer centre and maternity hospital are expected to top £420 million.
The bombshell figures for the Anchor Cancer Centre and Baird Family Hospital, which are almost four times the original estimate, were given in the government’s new Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline (2026-27 to 2029-30) as part of the Scottish Budget.
More than £423m has now been allocated towards the project, which was originally due to cost £120m.
The document states problems resolving “infection prevention and control”, and design issues, have resulted in the major delays.
The state-of-the-art facility will now not be operational until 2027 – seven years after it was originally planned to open and 13 years after the plans were given the go ahead.
Officials said the total investment estimate includes the “overall project costs comprising of the Scottish Government and any other relevant public sector body contribution”.
Scottish Conservative North East MSP Liam Kerr said: “These eye-watering costs expose the alarming level of delays this project has gone through, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions more than it should have.
“It’s astonishing that costs have been allowed to spiral so far out of control on a project of such importance.
“At the heart of this are struggling patients, who are stuck on waiting lists and paying the price for this endless disruption.
“The people of the North East have now lost faith on if this vital project will ever be finished.
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“These inexcusable costs and delays lie squarely at the door of both NHS Grampian and the Scottish Government, who have allowed a development of this magnitude to slip through the net.
“At a time when staff are at breaking point, and NHS Grampian is demonstrably struggling with its finances, these issues must be rectified as a matter of urgency before further setbacks occur.”
In its Infrastructure Deliver Pipeline, the Scottish Government said: “The total investment estimate includes the total overall programme or project costs/funding comprising of Scottish Government and any other relevant public sector body contribution.”
