A Caithness healthcare campaigner says the freezing temperatures and travel disruption are a stark reminder of the struggle to reach hospital for routine treatment hours away in Inverness.
Rebecca Wymer says the dangerous weather conditions mean Caithness is essentially “cut off”.
Temperatures plummeted to -8C on Monday, bringing snow and ice to the region.
‘We deserve the same access as anyone else’
Ms Wymer, from John O’Groats, spent years trying to get her painful endometriosis diagnosed.
She is putting off having children because she is worried about the lack of women’s healthcare in Caithness.
She worries serious conditions are being missed because women have to travel 120 miles to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness for treatment.
But she warned even this is now almost impossible because of the bad weather, particularly when the snow gates at Berriedale Braes are closed.
She said: “We deserve the same access to care as anyone else.
“It is our basic human right to have access to emergency care.
“Caithness General Hospital is a well-equipped facility being massively underused to poor planning and Scottish Government cuts.”
She also highlighted the journey to Inverness is the equivalent of travelling from Edinburgh to Newcastle – something she says people in the central belt would not be expected to do.
‘Unsafe and unacceptable’
Ms Wymer also shared pictures of the horrendous weather conditions on social media.
The photographs are from road traffic cameras at 7.05am on December 13.
100+ miles of dangerous roads
Almost all emergency women's healthcare takes place in Raigmore. With the vast majority of patients driven my friends & family on these roads.
⚠️ It's unsafe
⚠️ It's inequality
⚠️ It's unacceptable@scotgov @HumzaYousaf @NHSHighland @IanDuddyUK— Rebecca Wymer 💛♀️ (@RebeccaWymer) December 13, 2022
She said it is “not uncommon” for people to have to travel to Raigmore at that time of the morning in similar conditions for clinics and routine operations.
Ms Wymer added: “This is 100 miles of dangerous roads.
“Almost all emergency women’s healthcare takes place in Raigmore with the vast majority of patients driven by friends and family on these roads.
“It’s unsafe, it’s inequality, and it’s unacceptable.”
NHS: Most healthcare is local
NHS Highland advised patients to check the weather forecast before travelling and only attend appointments “if it is safe”.
In a statement, the NHS added: “If people are not confident that they will be able to return home, particularly if you live in a rural area, please consider postponing your visit to the Hospital until the weather has cleared.”
The NHS also said most healthcare in Caithness is provided locally and only some specialist elective treatments require travel to Raigmore Hospital.
A video consulting service, called Near Me, can be used for virtual appointments when a physical examination is not needed.