Scottish NHS building projects to be halted
The government says its due to budgetary constraints
Last updated 19th Feb 2024
All new NHS building projects in Scotland have been put on hold, with at least a dozen schemes across the country to be delayed or paused for up to two years.
Health boards were told by the Scottish government that no money was currently available for the projects.
These include plans for a new cancer centre and eye hospital in Edinburgh, and a national treatment centre in Livingston.
National treatment centres at Carrick Glen Hospital in Ayr and Cumbernauld, a replacement hospital in Fort William and revamps of Caithness General Hospital and the maternity ward at Inverness's Raigmore Hospital are impacted.
And the planned £35m elective surgery at Perth Royal Infirmary is also being put on hold.
"Broken promise by the SNP"
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser said: “This is a broken promise by the SNP Government to the people of Perthshire and will be a massive blow to all the patients who would have used the facility.
The centre at PRI was said to deal with a range of procedures including breast surgery, gynaecology, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, urology, dermatology and ear, nose and throat treatments, so patients waiting to receive treatments for these issues will be bitterly disappointed.
“The shocking news is a blow to many patients not just in Perthshire but across Scotland, and all caused by the SNP’s economic incompetence.
“They launched a disastrous tax-and-cut budget which has received a backlash from many quarters. I can’t remember a time when we have seen so many bodies and organisations united in opposition to it.”
Mr Fraser added: “I did suspect that we may not see the planned elective surgery unit being built at PRI after the Scottish Conservatives recently received data which confirmed there had been no communication between the former disgraced Health Minister and NHS Tayside regarding the proposal for at least a year.
“However, it is deeply disappointing now to hear the plan has been firmly put on the back burner.
“We were initially promised that the elective surgery centre would be built by the end of this year, but instead we see another broken promise by this incompetent SNP Government.
“It will no doubt try and blame Westminster for this decision, but had construction started when originally promised the building would have been nearly finished by now. Perthshire and Scotland deserve a lot better than this.”
We have reached out to the Scottish Government for comment.