The SNP government will be urged to fulfil its promises of building new hospitals in Fort William, Barra and Aberdeen while completing upgrades to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin as part of a debate on improving access to rural healthcare.
Scottish Conservative shadow rural secretary Tim Eagle will mark his members’ business debate next week by raising concerns about primary care in areas such as Wick and Uist amid fears over declining trainee doctor numbers, and huge pressures on the primary care service.
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As part of this, the Highlands and Islands MSP will also highlight issues around reduced access to NHS dentistry in Dunoon and the loss of care home beds across the region.
Mr Eagle will make the case for “bold and necessary” action to tackle Scotland’s rural depopulation crisis.
Scottish Conservative shadow rural secretary Tim Eagle said: “Rural healthcare in Scotland is in crisis, with patients suffering from lengthy waiting times and difficulties accessing essential services, particularly across the Highlands and Islands.
“Primary care services are under huge strain as they cope with declining secondary care services and delays on waiting lists.
“This combination puts extreme pressure on an already under resourced vital section of our NHS. That is why we would increase the portion of NHS funding given to GP services.
“The shelving of new NHS building projects, including replacement hospitals in Fort William, Barra, and Aberdeen, and revamps of Caithness General Hospital and the maternity ward at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, has been a hammer blow to these rural communities.
“John Swinney and Neil Gray must urgently come clean on what they are planning, and when these new building projects will finally get the go-ahead.
“In addition, the SNP must start to take bold and necessary action to address Scotland’s depopulation crisis and persuade people to live and work in rural Scotland.
“Patients are seeing the SNP fixated on Scotland’s biggest cities and the central belt at the expense of everywhere else in the country.”
