Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has called for clarity over upcoming NHS Lothian infrastructure projects.
Last month (w/c 14th December) it was announced that the Scottish Government was withdrawing £45 million funding for a new Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion hospital. An initial agreement for the new hospital had already been agreed and a business case submitted in May 2019.
In a Written Answer from the Scottish Government this month, Lothian MSP Miles Briggs, was informed that an Initial Agreement, IA, had been submitted from NHS Lothian for a new Edinburgh Cancer Centre and a decision would be made this month (December) by the Capital Investment Group, CIG, based on the strategic case.
The new Edinburgh Cancer Centre would provide services for Cancer patients across the South East of Scotland.
At the start of this year, prior to Covid-19, it was announced that plans for a new Edinburgh Cancer Centre would be delayed to 2030 from the original planned date of 2025. The Scottish Government committed to investing £20 million in the current Edinburgh Cancer Centre to keep it going until the new Centre is ready.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “The confusion around new NHS Lothian infrastructure projects is extremely concerning and clarity is urgently needed on what projects are being funded.
“We are in desperate need of a replacement Edinburgh Cancer Centre, which will benefit the whole of the South East of Scotland, and is expected to be another decade before it is ready.
“The wait for routine eye treatments, such as for Glaucoma, are already incredibly long in NHS Lothian and patients deserve better than being short changed by SNP Ministers.
“I will hold SNP Ministers to their word to get these essential projects in NHS Lothian funded.
“SNP Ministers have underfunded NHS Lothian for the last 10 years. We need to see the health board receive their fair share of health funding in the upcoming budget.”
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