Further delay for long-awaited Lochgelly Health Centre "unacceptable"
An MSP has criticised the failure to provide answers on a Fife health centre
MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife Claire Baker has criticised the Scottish Government for failing to provide answers on why Lochgelly continues to face years of delay for a replacement health centre.
During General Questions in the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Government was asked about steps to bring forward construction of a new health centre, and whether coupling the project with Cowdenbeath would cause further delay. Claire Baker challenged the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care after she advised that construction may not begin until 2031.
The existing Lochgelly Health Centre has long been recognised as inadequate for modern healthcare provision and NHS Fife identified the need for a replacement more than a decade ago. At the time, communities were told a new health centre could be operational by 2021.
Claire Baker MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife said: “Lochgelly has been waiting far too long for a new health centre. The need for a replacement has been recognised for more than a decade, yet local people are still being asked to make do with facilities that are no longer suitable for delivering modern healthcare.
“The Cabinet Secretary gave no satisfactory explanation for why progress has been so slow. Instead, we are now being told that construction may not begin until 2031.
“The Scottish Government accepts that Lochgelly needs a new health centre. The question is why a community that has already waited for over a decade is now being told it could be another five years before construction even begins.”
On reports that the Lochgelly project is now being linked to proposals for a replacement health centre in Cowdenbeath, despite Lochgelly's plans being significantly more advanced, Claire Baker MSP added: “There is understandable concern locally that coupling Lochgelly with another project could result in further delays.
"Ministers need to provide clarity on what this means for delivery and whether it risks pushing back the timetable even further.
"The Scottish Government must stop delaying and finally commit to delivering the modern healthcare facilities that this community has been promised for years.”