MacDonald respond to fresh NHS buildings delay at Portree, Fort William and Inverness

Responding to the announcement that the SNP Government will extend the pause on NHS building projects until the Scottish Budget at the end of the year, further delaying the revised NHS infrastructure plan that was originally supposed to be unveiled in the spring, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire Angus MacDonald commented:

“People are waiting an age for treatment but the SNP have poured cold water on essential new NHS buildings all across Scotland.

“As a result, long overdue projects are on hold including a replacement hospital in Fort William, and the revamps of Caithness General and the maternity ward at Raigmore. We also desperately need urgent care services back open 24/7 at Portree Hospital. I’ll be contacting Kate Forbes to urge her to recognise the importance of finally getting these projects moving because they are critical to improving healthcare in the Highlands.

“During the election the Scottish Liberal Democrats published a fully costed manifesto that would have delivered £1 billion extra a year to fix Scotland’s crumbling infrastructure. We need proper investment in local hospitals and NHS equipment to bring down waiting lists and end long journeys for treatment.”

Note to editors: You can find the BBC’s report here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpwdp7qg79do