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LOCAL POLITICIANS EXPRESS CONCERNS AT CUT TO EMERGENCY SURGERY AT PRI

The Scottish National Party’s Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Member of the Scottish Parliament for Perthshire South & Kinross-shire, and Mr Pete Wishart MP, Member of Parliament for Perth & North Perthshire, have expressed their concern at plans announced by NHS Tayside which will see the removal of weekend emergency surgery from Perth Royal Infirmary to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, extended to include Fridays.

Ms Cunningham said:

“While NHS Tayside have said that PRI will retain 24-hour surgical cover, the removal of emergency surgery facilities on Fridays is another erosion in the level of service provided at PRI and I am extremely concerned about the implication which this decision could have for the people of Perthshire.  Along with colleagues, I will be raising these concerns with the Health Board. 

“I understand that Tayside Health Board need to find ways of making the best use of available resources and I hear what is being said about freeing up doctors and surgeons to increase the number of planned surgical procedures take place in Perth but there are real issues that need to be addressed regarding the impact of increased travel time, for example.

Mr Wishart added:

“The plan to create a specialist surgical unit in Perth, serving the whole of the Tayside area is a welcome development but I acknowledge and share the understandable worries that my constituents have about the further reduction in the emergency surgery facility in Perth.”

• Health