THERE has been a reduction of over 15,000 operations in Fife since the start of the pandemic.

Statistics from Public Health Scotland have shown a reduction in the number of operations across Scotland’s health boards since the Covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

Over 480,000 fewer operations have taken places, with a reduction of 15,625 operations in Fife alone.

Roz McCall, MSP for the Mid Scotland and Fife region, has strongly criticised the Scottish Government’s recovery plan for the NHS following the pandemic.

She commented: “Far too many patients in Fife are languishing in pain as crucial operations and procedures continue to be cancelled or delayed. This situation is unacceptable and is a direct result of the SNP's flimsy and ill-prepared approach for NHS recovery.

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“For many desperate patients, there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel, yet SNP ministers continue to excuse their failures by blaming the pandemic.

"We need a solid, actionable plan that goes beyond empty promises and provides real solutions to the people of Scotland.

“The continued cancellation of operations is taking a huge mental and physical toll on patients in Fife. The SNP must stop making excuses and start making changes.

“It’s imperative that we see an immediate implementation of a comprehensive plan to remobilise frontline healthcare services effectively. Our NHS deserves better than back-of-a-fag packet planning."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Addressing the effects of the pandemic has inevitably disrupted the NHS’s ability to carry out routine procedures.

"We continue to support health boards, including NHS Fife, to drive improvements in waiting times and identify new ways to increase capacity. 

“We have also invested an additional £30m this year to support increased activity across various specialities, including additional activity in NHS Fife.”

Director of acute services, Claire Dobson, said: “The number of planned procedures carried out in Fife reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it did elsewhere.

"This was due largely due to the additional infection prevention protocols necessary as a result of COVID-19, however, the number of procedures carried out has risen steadily since and have returned broadly to pre-COVID levels.

“Only a small number of planned procedures are currently postponed in Fife. The most recently published figures show that 6.4% of planned procedures were postponed in Fife compared to 8.4% nationally, making Fife amongst the best performing areas in the country.

"Importantly, the majority of those procedures which were postponed were at the request of the patient or for clinical reasons, such as where a patient is unwell.

“Waiting lists for non-urgent procedures remain high across the country, including here in Fife, and we are continuing to work to increase capacity wherever possible in order to minimise the time patients wait to be seen.”