LEADERS of the British Medical Association (BMA) have called on the Scottish Government to consider funding a Highlands medical school.
Dr Iain Kennedy, the chair of the British Medical Association in Scotland, told The Guardian that urgent action was needed to tackle the rise in doctors leaving local rural practices.
The lobby stresses the need for a local school due to rural students often being forced to move to study and be financially self-sufficient in Scottish cities compared to their peers.
Data from NHS Scotland shows that GP surgeries in rural areas have a higher-than-average vacancy rate than the rest of Scotland’s which sits at 42%.
READ MORE: SNP 'should consider reshuffle', former Nicola Sturgeon aide says
The Western Isles currently is the highest at 67%, followed by 64% in Grampian, 56% in Shetland, 57% in Orkney and 54% in Tayside.
Kennedy said he and other BMA leaders were urging ministers to consider funding a new medical school in the Highlands so young local people will be more attracted to train as doctors.
He said: “We need to start recruiting healthcare professionals from our own communities. We need to grow our own.”
Kennedy also added that health inequalities were growing, as well as a divide between rural and urban Scotland: “We have huge vacancies in Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles, Grampian, Highland, Borders – both in hospital consultant vacancies and in GP vacancies. What we can see is that the rural-urban divide is getting greater and that of course is widening health inequalities.
READ MORE: Kate Forbes brands proposals to privatise NHS as 'ridiculous'
“We haven’t recruited enough doctors in general, across Scotland. When we have a shortage of doctors, rural areas and deprived areas are the first places to be affected.”
The leader also called for rural GPs to get higher pay to cope with the shortfall of staff in Highlands, islands and rural counties.
A Scottish government spokesperson said the National Centre for Remote & Rural Health and Care (the Centre) which opened in October 2023 was being funded to address the crisis with more than £3 million over three years as well as bursaries and a “golden hello” of £10,000 to new rural GPs at practices with recruitment difficulties.
They said: “We are clear that patients who need to see a GP should always be seen, regardless of their location. The centre strives to improve rural workforce and retention and develop new and innovative services to deliver better results for patients.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel