An Orkney MSP has claimed urgent steps must be taken to deal with delays for orthopaedic treatment for patients from the isles.
Liam McArthur spoke out after new figures highlighted 139 patients were left waiting more than three months for treatment.
Mr McArthur described the delays as unacceptable and insisted a clear timetable to fix the problem must be set out, particularly around doctor vacancies.
He said: “I have been contacted by a number of constituents affected by these delays in treatment.
“While the government’s target for an appointment with an orthopaedic consultant is 12 weeks, many Orkney patients have been waiting considerably longer.
“The health secretary admits there is an obvious lack of capacity in this key area of NHS provision and the additional resources she refers to are welcome.
“However, what patients in Orkney want to know is: When will these gaps be filled so that we see an end to the sort of unacceptable delays being experienced at present?”
Health Secretary Shona Robison said she agreed the delays were unacceptable and argued she had provided extra funding to improve performance. She said: “I have made it abundantly clear long waits are not acceptable and we are committed to ensuring all patients have swift and safe access to the full range of services they need from the NHS in Scotland.
“We have provided an additional £50million to the NHS budget to improve waiting times at all stages of a patient’s journey and particularly for inpatients who have been experiencing waits above the 12-week treatment time guarantee.”
