A public petition has started taking names in support of a new acute general teaching hospital for the Highlands at Raigmore.
The Scottish Government and NHS Highland are being urged to commit to a modern replacement for the Inverness hospital.
First Minister Humza Yousaf has stopped short of making any firm commitments but said in March there is “no doubt” the hospital requires “a significant investment”.
Speaking at Holyrood, while still health secretary, he said this investment would need to be through “full refurbishment” or a “replacement”.
Petition opens
Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain, who opened the petition, hopes the demand “doesn’t slip from the Scottish Government and NHS Highland’s list of top priorities”.
He said: “I welcome that the first minister already recognises the need to replace or fully refurbish Raigmore, but we now need a stronger commitment.
“Raigmore is only going to age further and a large-scale replacement project could take years to deliver. However, we could save years of time if we begin developing plans and consulting with communities for a replacement right now.
“I’m confident that we if build enough public pressure through this petition, then calls to replace Raigmore will be impossible to ignore.”
The Scottish Government has already committed £5 million in upgrading maternity services at Raigmore hospital.
A further investment of £48.6m has been spent on the new Highland National Treatment Centre in Inverness.
The hospital will specialise in eye care and orthopaedics, including knee and hip replacements.
It is part of a network of 10 similar centres around Scotland backed by the Scottish Government to deliver added resilience to NHS services.
NHS Highland declined to comment on the petition.
The petition, which opened early on Monday morning, can be accessed here.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We have invested £48 million in NHS Highland’s National Treatment Centre which opened on the Inverness campus last month.
“It will help reduce waiting times for patients undergoing orthopaedic and ophthalmology procedures such as hip replacements and cataract surgery.
“This follows Scottish Government investment of over £40 million in two community hospitals in Badenoch and Strathspey and Skye, Lochalsh and South West Ross which both opened last year.
“We continue to work closely with NHS Highland to identify the best way forward for health infrastructure in the area.”
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