Murdo Fraser MSP says that “doubt is still cast” over whether a planned £35 million specialist elective surgery unit will ever be built at Perth Royal Infirmary (PRI).
This follows an answer to a recent written question from Mr Fraser to Michael Matheson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, asking him when the unit will officially open its doors. In his answer, Mr Matheson says no date has yet been confirmed for completion of the project.
In 2021, it was announced that the Scottish Government-funded Tayside Elective Care Centre could be open to the public in late 2024. The centre is set to deal with a range of procedures such as breast surgery, gynaecology, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, urology, dermatology and ear, nose and throat treatments.
Commenting, Mr Fraser said: “The written response I have received from the Cabinet Secretary means that doubt is still cast as to when, or even if, this much-needed unit will be open to the public. It is obvious that this centre will not be built by 2024.
“We have been waiting for 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.”
Mr Fraser continued: “For the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to say that the specialist elective surgery unit at PRI is currently in the process of submitting their Outline Business Case and that a completion date will be announced once this is approved is extremely disappointing. It doesn’t throw any light on the matter at all.
“Patients in Perth and beyond want concrete answers on this issue to confirm that the unit will definitely be built, along with a timetable of the planned work if it definitely is going ahead.”
