The clock is ticking for doctors and a trio of north politicians trying to save the construction of a Highland medical centre.
Spending on all NHS capital projects is paused across Scotland because of a £1.5bn budget black hole.
That includes work on a £2.4m refurbishment of the Grantown Health Centre, even though construction is already well under way.
Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing raised the issue at Holyrood last week.
He stated that putting the work on hold would end up costing the country far more in the long run.
Mr Ewing said: “Unlike every other [affected] project in NHS Highland, this one is nearly completed.
“£2m of the £2.4m have been incurred and the materials are on site waiting to be installed.
Decision time for practice nears
“If there is not an overturn of the decision within the next three weeks, abortive costs will be incurred.
“Which means the overall cost will far exceed the notional savings.”
Although the project has not been scrapped, there is now no indication about when it will be complete.
Some patients will be forced to travel a 30-mile round-trip to Aviemore for treatment.
The main extra costs arise from having to continue to use the Ian Charles Hospital, an old building which is no longer fit for purpose.
A meeting about the crisis was attended by more than 300 people last month.
In the aftermath, a campaign involving Mr Ewing and MSP colleagues Edward Mountain and Rhoda Grant, as well as doctors from the health centre, emerged.
The group recently held a meeting with Scottish health secretary Neil Gray.
Afterwards, Mr Gray told Holyrood: “I gave a commitment that I would go away and consider the position and the potentially exceptional situation there.
“I committed to come back to those as soon as I possibly could.”
Delays have hit many Highland projects
The campaign group estimates that around £400,000 to £500,000 is needed to complete the health centre refurbishment.
The nationwide pause on building means there is a £175m waiting list of construction projects in the Highland.
Among those affected are plans to build a new Belford Hospital in Fort William and an upgrade of the maternity unit at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
The Scottish Government says the pause of new NHS building projects is due to its UK Government funding being reduced by £1.3bn between now and 2027-28.
A revised infrastructure plan is expected to be published in the near future.
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