Murdo Fraser MSP is demanding answers on when a planned £35 million new specialist surgical unit at Perth Royal Infirmary (PRI) will be built.
The Scottish Conservative politician has lodged a Written Question at Holyrood asking the Scottish Government when the promised Tayside Elective Care Centre will open its doors.
This follows a response from NHS Tayside to a letter sent to them by Mr Fraser, in which the health body state the plans for the Centre are at the ‘Outline Business Case’ (OBC) stage, with the OBC being submitted to the Scottish Government for consideration.
When the Scottish Government-funded Tayside Elective Care Centre was first announced at the beginning of 2021, health chiefs suggested that the unit could be open to the public in late 2024, with the specialist centre dealing with a range of procedures such as breast surgery, gynaecology, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, urology, dermatology and ear, nose and throat treatments.
However, Mr Fraser said it is time for answers from the Scottish Government as to why it appears that the much-needed project has been delayed.
Commenting, he said: “There is no way this Centre will be delivered in 2024. In their response to my question on when the unit will open, NHS Tayside confirmed that they have only nearly completed the first phase of their enabling works, which involves relocating services from the areas planned for demolition. This means that it seems that no actual groundwork has taken place.
“We need concrete answers on this now from the Scottish Government and NHS Tayside – vague responses are no good. We have been waiting nearly three years for progress on the Tayside Elective Care Centre. Both I and local patients want to know when it will be delivered, as it is clearly well behind schedule.
“That is why I have submitted a Written Question at Holyrood to ask the Scottish Government when the unit will be open to the public.”
Mr Fraser continued: “The plan for the Elective Care Centre was announced prior to the last Scottish Parliamentary Elections in 2021 but there is still no guarantee that it will ever be built. Cynics might conclude that this was just a pre-Election stunt rather than a firm commitment to deliver a new facility in Perth.
“I know many local patients will be very concerned about the delay. I will keep pressing the Scottish Government on this as it is vital that this unit is built at PRI to cater for the area’s expanding population.”
